Dear Brother Chapter 7 Summary

The chapter opens with Momo at Sougo’s bedside at the hospital, having obviously stayed the entire night despite there’s not the need to (as Sougo points out since he only needs a routine checkup before checking out the hospital).  Sougo insists that she go home, to which she replies she’ll come back later in the night.  Even Gin is a bit concerned that she’s going so often, but Momo reminds him that he had told her in the past it’s important to try to get back together as siblings.  Though of course, Momo too realizes that she’s not telling all the truth.  She reflects in the shower that she’s perhaps more afraid of being left alone and of losing her favorite brother (probably in more than sibling sense).

At work the next day, Momo’s colleague envies the homemade bento that Momo’s brother made her and laments her own situation about her relationship with her brother.  Momo’s colleague continues that their relationship worsened because her brother opposed her lover (which is much like Momo although she doesn’t say).  At the hospital, Momo sees Sougo talking to someone on his phone and, assuming that it’s work related, slowly retreats when Sougo reaches out for her hand.  She blushes out of reflex.  Sougo asks her to deliver a document to his office, to which she’s really excited about since it’s his first time asking a favor of her. 

“Is it?” Sougo asks.

“I think so,” Momo replies.

“But that’s because it’s so simple even a child can do it,” he shoots back.

Naturally, Momo gets lost the next day and phones Sougo for help.  Sougo tells her that he’ll call his colleague to meet up with her, and out comes a new character, Arisue Shinobu (I’m not sure of the pronunciation yet…at least not until I see the actual Japanese text, but it’s written 有末志信).  Momo’s doubtful he’s a lawyer at first because he’s in casual wear, but he retorts that it doesn’t matter what people wear as long as they can do their job.  Just as he asks for the document and Momo reaches for it in her bag, she realizes it’s gone and that she must have dropped it in the station.  Naturally she panics (since she wants to complete the first task that Sougo has given her), and Shinobu offers to help.

When they finally find it, Shinobu asks if Sougo is usually really mean to her (seeing how she panicked), but she denies it.  In turn, she asks Shinobu if Sougo is really strict and uptight at work.

“Nope, very gentle.  A gentle and handsome lawyer that everybody likes, so much so that it makes you wonder why he entered this line of business,” Shinobu answers.

He makes a gesture to leave, but Momo asks if she can thank him (for helping her out).  Shinobu replies that he would accept a date with her for thanks, and tells her to call the number of his business card.  He also tells her he’ll keep the whole document fiasco a secret from Sougo.

As he walks away, he mutters to himself, “What was that all about?  And there he goes saying that she’s a reliable sister.  She’s the complete opposite.  He’s exaggerating too much, although she’s pretty interesting.”

Momo returns to the hospital to find Sougo gone, and panics like crazy.  We get a flashback of her 

father’s funeral and the desolation she felt.  After she ascertains that Sougo’s on the roof taking a breather, she runs like crazy and hugs him from behind once she spots him.

“Sougo-niichan!”

“Wha! Why’re you suddenly hugging me…”

“Thank goodness you’re still here!  I thought you left again.”

“Idiot, where would I go?  Tomorrow’s the check out date.  Even if I go, I would leave a message.”

“But you didn’t in the past.  You told me you would call and write, but you haven’t even once.”

“You remember these things so clearly…”

“I won’t forget.  I won’t forget that I was lonely, or that you had lied to me…”

“I didn’t plan on lying to you…I apologize.  But like Gin-niichan said, there are a lot of things you can’t do when you’re living under someone else’s house.”

“A lot of things?”

Sougo pauses before continuing, “Anyways, it’s a lot of things!  Though this doesn’t make up for anything, I would never violate the promise I made with mom.”

“What promise?”

“Mom contacted me before she died. She asked me to take care of you if she died and not to leave you alone.”

“Liar, I’ve never heard of this…”

“You probably wouldn’t.  She probably wouldn’t tell you that she doesn’t have long to live at that time.  But I promised her.  Because I could never forget the way she was when I contracted pneumonia when I hopped into the river to save you.  She was by my side all the time, stroking my hair, thanking me for saving you, thanking me for being there with you.  Though it’s a little late now, but here I am again as your brother.  It’s my fault for not contacting you all along.  I actually really wanted to attend mother’s funeral…there are too many things I regret.  But all this is in the past.”

After his soliloquy, he asks, “So, when do you plan on letting go of me?”

Momo reluctantly releases her hold.

“Anyways, if I can’t fulfill this promise then I would really become the liar.  I may not be able to replace mom and dad, but I’ll do my best to take care of you.  Because you’re my sister.”

At this time, Momo wonders, “Because of mom’s promise…Because I’m your sister…but what do you think yourself?”

“Thanks…” Momo manages.

Inside, Momo thinks, “This was what I wished for, to stay as his sister…though of course I’m lying to myself, or else I wouldn’t be so hurt right now.  I want to know his true feelings. I know I’m being selfish.”

Sougo gets ready to go in and tells Momo to not just stand there and zone out.

“I’ll always treasure you, even if you’re not my true brother…” she says shakily.

Sougo turns around with a scary face.  “What do you mean?”

“Eh…I mean, if I wasn’t your sister, you probably would not bother with me like most people.  Or at least, I wouldn’t myself…”

Looking a little hurt, Sougo continues, “Don’t say silly things.  Don’t make pointless suppositions.  Anyways, is there anything you guys prepared for celebrating tomorrow?”

“Ah, Gin-niichan said he’ll make us a fancy meal.”

“Tell him I’m looking forward to it,  I’m sick of the hospital food.”

“Then I’ll be going.  I’ll pick you up at the hospital tomorrow,” Momo says.

Inside, Momo thinks, “I can’t be like this.  I almost lost control just being next to him.  Someday, I would probably destroy everything and lose it all.  These feelings of mine are love.”

Flashing back to Sougo, he mutters to himself, “You’re the worst, what are you saying now all of a sudden.  Weren’t you the one who made me out to be your brother first?”

I don't think they're really siblings!  Maybe Sougo was adopted?  Otherwise he wouldn't say something like that would he?  The story is finally picking up thank goodness!  Still haven't bought the first volume (since I don't think it's a good investment at this point)...but I'll be patiently waiting.  Speaking of siblings with mysterious relationships, has anyone watched Last Cinderella?  I am absolutely infatuated with the series right now, sitting on pins and needles for the relationship between Hiroto and Chiyoko.  I have a theory that they're not related at all, but their parents married each other (which is what made them siblings perhaps?)  I hope it's not incest...because the way he kissed her back...

If you haven't watched it, I totally recommend it!  It's not the best since it's hard to relate to a 39 yr old woman who doesn't act her age at all, but the story is light and plot moves fast.  If nothing else, oogling Miura Haruma in all those half-naked scenes and shower scenes totally make up for it.  I know Korean dramas always find a way to exploit some male actor's body, but I'm not used to display of flesh in Japanese dramas~