Hikaeme ni Itte mo, Kore wa Ai 23 *SPOILERS*

READ HIKAEME NI ITTE MO, KORE WA AI 22 SPOILERS HERE

The Day After the Zoo Date

Risa and Zen's buddies are all at Zen's house (the temple).

Zen is holding a stopwatch and says, "Ready, get set, GO!"

Risa and Zen's buddies are racing to see who can wipe the temple floor faster. Obviously, Risa wins, covering the floor in 3.8 seconds.

Ryuu: Seriously- Risa, you're too fast.

Touji: Zen-san, she's cheating! I'm sure she's doping!

Raku: How do you even dope with rags?

Risa: You all need to train your bodies more.

Risa narrates that today is the Oohira family's cleaning day.

One of Zen's older sisters (the black-haired one) appears with an envelope. She says that the person who contributes the most will receive a sum of money, so she asks all of them to work hard. However, she reveals that the contents of the prize envelope are library cards. Raku gives a thumbs down and jeers (even though Risa seems excited to earn it). So, Zen's sister grabs Zen and says that in addition, the winner will be able to say whatever they want to Zen. This makes the guys more pumped up.

Then, Zen's sister assigns them all to continue working - Zen, Touji and Zen's father to sweep the garden, while Risa, Ryuu and Raku continue wiping the floor.

Fudou realizes that he's left out. He calls out to Zen's sister.

Fudou: En, what about me?

En (Zen's sister): Chika, you're going to sleep anyway, so you're not included!

Risa is confused about Fudou being called Chika. Ryuu explains to her that Fudou's first name is Chikara, and only Zen's sister is allowed to call him "Chika".

Risa and Zen (briefly)

Risa is changing the water in the pail and is about to lift it out of the sink. Zen approaches her and asks her to let him carry the pail instead. She thanks him.

Risa blushes a little while watching Zen.

Zen: What's up? You're staring at me.

Risa (startled): Eh-... You're mistak...

Trying to find an excuse, Risa says that Zen's hair is different today (it's not really all that different, though).

Zen: Ah- it's because I overslept. I was thinking about Risa so I didn't sleep enough ❤

Risa: !! (blushes)

Zen laughs and Risa blushes some more while looking at him. Risa narrates that Zen is back to his usual self, but she still hasn't gotten over what happened yesterday (Zen had promised Risa that he'll never leave her alone again.)

Back to Floor Wiping

Ryuu and Risa are wiping the floor together. 

Ryuu (smirking): Where did you go yesterday? Zen's mum said that yesterday, Zen came home drenched. What were the two of you doing to make him like that? (Ehehe ❤)

Risa: Ryuu-san, gather the trash bags there.

Ryuu: Ah... changing the subject?

Risa (embarrassed): ...We went to the zoo.

Ryuu (amused): The zoo?! Zen?! (More like he's the animal to be viewed)

Ryuu: Hah-- It was a date, huh-- Was it fun?

Risa: Yes.

Ryuu: Of course, being alone with your loved one all day- How nice-

Risa thinks to herself that they weren't alone, though. Hikari was there too.

Ryuu: I haven't been to the zoo since the field trip in my first year of middle school- (I wanna go with a girl-)

Gossip...?

Risa notices something about Ryuu's words and asks him about it.

Risa: Ryuu-san... you were in the same middle school as Zen, right?

Ryuu: Hm? Yep-

Risa: Were you in the same class as Kuma-san? Kumakawa Hikari-san.

Raku (passing by with a box): Eh? That girl!! She's the one who approached me and asked to be introduced to Zen. Lucky Risa, do you know her?

Risa: Ah... yes.

Fudou (also overheard the conversation): Kumakawa...? How do you know her?

Risa: Ah... We're in the same school, so the other day, when I was with her, we met Zen.

Fudou: Met? Zen and... Kumakawa?

Raku: Eh--- What, what, like an ex-girlfriend?! 

Fudou: It's not like that. Zen got into so much trouble because of that person.

Raku: Eh--- What's up with that?

Ryuu: Ah- Raku doesn't know about what happened in middle school. 

Fudou: Zen was taken into custody after trying to stop Kumakawa from shoplifting. While Zen was fighting the school about not having done it, Kumakawa transferred schools and ran away. In the end, Zen alone had to be suspended from school.

Risa recalls the things that Zen and Hikari had said to her and sees that what they said match up.

Ryuu: Kumakawa-chan kept saying that she was the one who did it, but her father was super strict- It's like he wouldn't listen to anything she'd say-

Raku: Heh- That must be why she got stressed out? It's tough not having a place to call home.

Fudou (angry): Those circumstances are irrelevant. The fact remains that she caused trouble.

Ryuu: Fudou-chan, you're like a member of the Oohira family, eh-

Fudou: ...Zen grew up watching his father dedicate himself to others. He was taught to lend a hand and a shoulder whenever there was someone in need. However, there's no point in helping others if you end up in trouble.

Risa thinks about Fudou's words while watching Zen sweep the garden with his father. She thinks to herself that it's really very much like Zen to help others in need. No matter who it is, Zen will extend a helping hand. Risa thinks about her feelings when she saw Zen ride off with Hikari on his motorcycle again and thinks to herself that she's narrow-minded.

Break Time

En brings over a tray of mugs. They're filled with hot chocolate, topped with mini marshmallows!

Raku excitedly asks if they were made by Zen's mother. En explains that all the mugs are the same, so she suggests for them to write their names on post-its to stick on the mug to identify which mug is whose.

Raku possessively sticks 3 post-its with his name on a mug. Ryuu says that he'll drink it all at one go. Risa slowly sips on hers, enjoying it.

Risa and En

En suddenly appears beside Risa, going, "Risa-chan~", startling Risa. En says teasingly that she's lonely, as Risa hasn't come to sleep over ever since. She asks Risa if Risa wants to sleep together again, and also take a bath together. Risa reacts shyly, "Ta-take a bath?!"

Risa narrates that En saying such things while having the exact same looks as Zen makes her feel things.

En: Did something happen with Zen?

Risa: Eh?!

En: I saw you looking meaningfully at Zen since just now.

Risa: Ehh?! (Did I act like that?)

En explains that Zen came home yesterday looking dispirited. He was drenched but didn't say anything when talked to - she thought that something definitely happened. All he muttered was, "...It's bad. I might get dumped."

En adds that the lights in Zen's room were switched on until midnight. Risa recalls how Zen had teased earlier that he didn't sleep enough because he was thinking about her. Risa now realizes that he was just joking.

Risa and En (continued)

En: I'm just being nosy, though. If you two got into a fight, I'll side with you.

Risa: We didn't get into a fight.

En: Oh, is that so?

Risa: We didn't fight.

En: He's a clumsy fool, but he has the strength to face people. I also argue with and act spoiled with the people I love.

Risa: Acting spoiled...? Is arguing acting spoiled?

En: Hoping for the person to accept me no matter who I am, and having the expectation that they might change for me - because I love them, I become spoiled.

Risa: ...I think I understand.

Risa's narration reads: Ah-- I failed. I pretended to be understanding. I shouldn't have made that pinky promise.

Risa: En-san, I-- I like Zen so much... I'm getting weird.

En (laughing): Tell that to Zen himself!

Risa's narration reads: Right now, I just want to hug Zen - Zen, who lost sleep thinking about the absurd possibility that he might get dumped by me.

Later On

Everyone finishes their cleaning duties and En announces that it's time to give out the prize for the person who contributed the most. Ryuu gives a drum roll.

Risa wins (obviously). She looks surprised to win, though. Raku says that he has no objections, because she cleaned five people's worth of work. Ryuu asks how she's able to be so motivated.

While Risa is happy to win the library cards, she asks if the additional prize is still applicable. En forgot what the additional prize is, but Risa gestures to Zen shyly to remind her - that the prize is that Zen will listen to whatever the winner has to say.

Raku: Kyaaa- Lucky Risa?! Are you going to tell Zen that you like him? Are you going to do lewd things?

Zen: What are you talking about, it's Risa.

Everyone leaves to give Risa and Zen space. En says to Risa, "Risa-chan, do as you please, okay? ❤"

Risa blushes in response, but Zen is confused. He turns to Risa to say that Risa doesn't have to take it so seriously. However, he trails off when he sees Risa's expression (she's blushing and looks expectant).

Risa and Zen

Risa: I wanted this, so I worked hard to clean!

Zen: *surprised*

Risa: Turn your back towards me.

Zen: Eh?

Risa: You'll listen to whatever I say, right?

Risa touches Zen's back.

Zen: Risa... What is it?

Risa hugs Zen from behind and buries her face into his back.

Zen (blushing): Uwah- Wha... What's wrong? Risa...

Risa (shyly and nervously): I want Zen all to myself. I want you... not to touch other girls. I... don't want other girls to ride on your bike... I don't want you to hate the me who thinks like this---...

Zen turns his head to look at Risa, then turns around to grab her wrists. Risa is blushing furiously.

Zen answers, "I got it. I won't touch, I won't let others ride, and I won't hate it. I, too, want Risa all to myself."

Zen moves in to kiss Risa. They smile at each other, then deepen the kiss. Risa gets a little surprised (I think Zen tried to French kiss her).

Zen: Ah... sorry. I suddenly-

Risa: No... I was just surprised. ...So, try it again one more time.

Zen replies saying that 1 million times more is fine too.

The last page shows Risa kissing Zen with her arms wrapped around his neck, and we see that Risa had pasted the post-it of her name (it was for the hot chocolate mugs) sneakily on Zen's back.