Nadia recaps: School Babysitters, episode 11
You know how Usaida is well-meaning but generally negligent? Well, today Usaida is home sick. He looks quite miserable as he calls Ryu, who’s got baby Midori strapped on his back in that swing carrier thing, to tell him he can’t come into the daycare.
He’s asked Saikawa to come take his place while Ryu is in class. Saikawaa Apparates into frame and freaks Ryu out. To care for Midori, Saikawa has brought a book called “Now That You’re A Mommy.” Maybe he can read it out to Kotaro and the others later. Kotaro, by the way, is ready to support Saikawa in taking on these new duties. He grunts at him meaningfully. Saikawa is deeply moved.
Ryu straps Midori on to Saikawa. I guess it’s a rule that whoever’s in charge of the daycare has to carry Midori around on his back the whole time? Anyway, as Ryu prepares to leave the other children arrive. “It’s the butler guy!” Kirin declares with excitement. Kirin is the best.
Ryu leaves, and Saikawa considers how to generate a safe atmosphere for the kiddos. Kotaro makes more meaningful supportive noises. It’s very sweet. Saikawa decides the best way to proceed is to bow and make an elaborate statement about how he needs all their support. “I must request your aid and encouragement,” he says.
The kiddos interpret this to mean that they’re now in charge. How is this different than when Usaida is there? He’s not exactly a strict disciplinarian — he’s mostly asleep anyhow. And speaking of, we cut back to his apartment, where he hopes the kiddos aren’t missing him too much. He imagines them all crying. Kotaro is holding a book called “The Sad Panda.”
“Yeah, no chance of that,” he says finally. Say what you want about Usaida, he knows these kids.
No rest for the wicked, though. Usaida has barely rolled over before he gets a call from Saikawa. The connection’s bad, so all he really hears is something about Midori and an emergency before the line cuts. He calls back but the phone is out of service. What could have happened?!
Flash back to the daycare room, ten minutes ago. Midori peed through her diaper and all down Saikawa’s back. I knew that strappy thing was a bad idea. Taka and Kirin try to help by getting the diapers and wiping equipment, but they bump into each other and the diapers get soaked. Saikawa had called Usaida to see if he had any spare ones hidden around, and said there was “an emergency with regard to Midori-sama’s backside.” I guess that’s one way to put it. But before he can elaborate, Midori knocks his phone out of his hand and into the water. Kirin starts crying, and that gets everyone going.
Kotaro is the exception. He grunts meaningfully again. He and Saikawa are really on the same wavelength today. Immediately, Saikawa takes charge, rolling up his sleeves and repositioning his glasses. “As I have promised to devote my all to this task, I cannot leave you in this condition,” he says. What a class act!
Meanwhile, Ryu and classmates are jogging around the neighborhood for some reason, despite having a perfectly serviceable track on-campus. Just as he’s wondering how Saikawa and Usaida are doing, who should stumble out into his path but Usaida himself?
His face is blue and he seems pretty delirious from the fever, but he had to find out what the emergency was with Midori. AW! Usaida, you’re a great guy.
Ryu and Hayato carry him to the daycare room. They put a mask on his face! Excellent job, boys. Midori is fine. Saikawa made her a cloth diaper and washed all her dirty clothes. “Ryu-chan, is it okay if pass out now?” Usaida says. Poor guy. The kids take this opportunity to declare how well they’re doing without him. They can help out, which means he can rest at home! Aw. Takuma and Kazuma tell him to get better soon. “Lemon tea,” Kotaro says. Usaida tears up! Saikawa notes that despite the kids’ confidence, Midori missed him. She’s tugging on his leg right now!
She says his name! IT’S SO CUTE! He does mean a lot to these kids, and why he shouldn’t he? He’s with them most of the day almost every day. He is a terrible caretaker and really ought to pay closer attention, but he is kind and sweet and he obviously cares about them.
Teacher Midori’s Mom doesn’t think it’s cute. She’s upset her daughter’s first word isn’t Mama or Papa. “It’s not your fault but it’s still not fair,” she tells him. Ain’t that life?
Part two. Yuki is sneaking around the daycare room on the pretense of getting a ball. She’s hovering beneath the window, turning red and failing to grab it.
But she does end up peeking. Takuma sees her through the window and she ducks out of sight just before Ryu himself peers outside. That is how Inomata finds her, plastered against the wall, red with shame. Inomata also becomes red, because why not? She tells Yuki that if she wants to play with the kids but is too embarrassed, they could go together. Yuki’s a ball of nerves. It’s an incredibly awkward and painful encounter that ends with her yelling “I have a hard time with small children!” just as Ryu, Kotaro, and the twins open the window to see what all the fuss is outside.
“My romance is dead,” Yuki thinks. We see a dead leaf fall off a tree and blow away in the wind. It’s beautifully done.
Inomata takes charge, telling Ryu that Yuki wants help adjusting to small children, and then drags her into the daycare room. “You need to get used to them fore the sake of your future,” Inomata lectures her.
Daycare room. Introductions go poorly. To put it delicately, Yuki is a bit more developed than Inomata and the kids are interested in comparisons with their own moms. Usaida calls this “sexual harassment-type stuff.” Indeed. He suggests they go for a walk to redirect the children’s energy.
In the courtyard, each teen takes a kid to walk with. Ryu takes the twins and asks Yuki to hold hands with Kotaro. This is a smart strategy, because Kotaro will just stand around and not be fussy. He’s in those stupid plaid paints again, so there’s that.
It goes well for about a minute before Yuki freaks. She thinks Kotaro’s crying, and as she rushes to wipe his face, she finds it’s his nose that’s running. She freaks harder. Taka runs over to help, and by help I of course mean, grab the hem of her skirt and try to use it wipe Kotaro’s nose. Ryu chases after him. “I saw panties!” Takuma exclaims. Not helping, Takuma! Kirin runs over and asks Yuki to hold out her hands for a present. “Don’t accept it!” I tell the screen, but Yuki innocently holds her hands out like an idiot. It’s bugs. This upsets Yuki SO MUCH she FAINTS.
Sorry, but no. Bugs are gross, and I pretty sure one of them has three eyes, but fainting is not an appropriate response.
Yuki regains consciousness in the nurse’s office. Usaida carried her, not Ryu, because this is not a romance movie and also Ryu is a child (Usaida: “Surprisingly heavy.”). She cries that she’ll never be able to get married because she can’t get along with kids. Ryu is very kind and comforting. He tells her that no one likes snot, and that the bugs freaked him out too (three eyes!). He describes various offenses the kiddos have committed against him, including wetting themselves on him (*cough* Midori *cough*). But, he explains, he doesn’t think of them as kids, he thinks of them as individuals with personalities and identities, and now he loves them. Aw! “But I’m really concerned about how you reacted. Fainting is extreme, and your concerns seem deep-seated enough that they warrant attention from your GP and possibly a therapist,” he doesn’t say. Oh well. Maybe she and Inomata can go to therapy in college.
The kids arrive at the window, full of remorse. They offer flowers. She accepts, and asks to come play again. Inomata is not here, but before she left she told Ryu to apologize to Yuki for forcing her to do this, even though this was all her idea! Unbelievable, that girl.
Yuki runs out to find Inomata, who is walking through the courtyard brooding about how she messes everything up again. Play a different tune! Yuki runs up and hugs her from behind. “I’m sorry, thank you, I love you!” she bursts out. Jeez. Inomata is horrified by this display of affection but is powerless to stop it. Make a friend, Inomata!
It’s definitely been interesting to see how, all throughout the show, we’ve had three boys as the main caretakers, while girls like Inomata are shown to be barely child competent. It’s clear from this episodes as well as previous ones that this bothers Inomata in no small part because she’s a girl, and she thinks she ought to be naturally caring and maternal. Since she isn’t, she feels this further proves that all she’s good at is studying, especially since it seems to come so easily to Ryu, a boy. Hopefully, seeing Yuki can help her see that there are lots of people who lack child competency, and it’s something you can work on. And maybe having a friend in the gifted class will buck Yuki up a bit and encourage her to work hard and be more outgoing.
