Marumo no Okite [ep 7]

Summary: Marumo only found out about the kids' birthday an incident at the park, when a neighbourhood police suspected him of kidnapping. So he promised to celebrate with them, with a huge cake and all. On the way home, he asked the kids what present do they want. But the kids kept the secret to themselves as they'd already promised their father. So Marumo was left wondering and trying to guess what to get them.

One day, the kids met a woman who had been following them for a while. Aoki Ayumi was actually their mother how left them when they were just 3 years old. She was suffering from parenting neurosis and filed a divorce. In order to prevent the kids from knowing the truth, their father lied that their mother had long passed away. But now, she came back to visit the children. She had no intention on getting custody of them though.

 After spying around the house, Marumo finally guessed what kasha-kasha and puchi-puchi stand for. The presents were really something we couldn't have guessed. Puchi-puchi was actually the plastic to wrap fragile things where you can pop the air bubbles with. Kasha-kasha was wrapping paper! (if I didn't get it wrong) because I saw how Kaoru was selling stuffs and wrapping with the paper. Kids are just so innocent.They can be happy with such trivial things.

Their mother came and asked for a final favor from Marumo. She made a cake for them, a cake depicted in the picture book both kids read when they were little. She wondered if they've changed over the last 4 years. Ayumi told Marumo that she'd try not to see them again. Marumo then realized that the kids hadn't really changed and chased after Ayumi to tell her.

It was a touching episode. The return of their mother but they had no single idea of it. And the scene where they said goodbye to her for the final time, thinking she was Marumo's friend...sad...I do wonder though whether this is for the best. What if she actually wanted them back? After all, she's their mother and if she had decided to care for them, then the kids wouldn't be separated. But maybe she wasn't ready for the task. Marumo still seemed to be the best choice for the kids.

And they've gotten used to Mook's random comments. Even Marumo didn't seem to be affected by it anymore and joined in the chatter.