Dear Brother Chapter 11 Summary

Ok...I am so damn confused by this chapter...mainly because of the panels with only the speech bubbles, which makes it hard to know who said what. And also because of this one particular scene where I'm not sure if Momo confessed to Sougo or not...but I'm finally getting a bit excited for this series (although it was nothing like Hapi Mari though where I hung onto all the beginning chapters eager to see how it turned out). Anyways, here we go!

The chapter picks up where Sakura (Momo's coworker) is desperately shaking Arimatsu for an answer as to where Sougo is. Unsure of the turnout of events, he asks for Sakura's name, to which she answers it's Honda Sakura. Momo hadn't paid particular attention to her last name before because it's such a common last name. But now she sees that Sakura was probably Sougo's adopted sister when he went to live with another family. Arimatsu eventually tells Sakura that Sougo lives with Momo now, and all three of them end up going to Momo's house.

Momo: Why are you still here Arimatsu-san?

Arimatsu: I told you before that I wanted to know more about the person I loved. Plus, Honda-sensei told me before that he had a very independent and reliable sister, but I had no idea that things would turn out like this.

Momo: I see...

However, Momo clenches her fist as she says this, inwardly comparing herself to Momo and how Sakura is probably the goody type who never causes anyone trouble. She's also jealous of the fact that Sakura had fifteen years to spend with her brother, but she only had little more than memories as a child. Meanwhile, Sakura looks around the house in wonderment.

Sakura: So this is the house Sougo was born into. When I found out about Komatsu-san's and Sougo's relationship, I was a bit surprised, but I'm glad that Komatsu-san was gracious enough to invite me here.

Aoba: Why did Sougo leave your house?

Sakura: Because...of some things...but I want to talk it out with him. I think he'll understand me once we discuss it.

Meanwhile Momo's dreading the moment that Sougo comes back, because Sakura wants to take Sougo away from her. She knows she doesn't have the right to prevent anything, but she's still annoyed with Sakura, and silently wishes that he doesn't come back. But of course, he does, and Momo's stricken when Sakura hears Sougo back.

Sakura: Onii-chan!

Sougo: Sa..Sakura?

Inwardly Momo's seething that she calls him by his first name, and she doesn't want him to meet her either. (Note: It's usually a very intimate thing to do to call someone by their first name in Japanese without any honorific whatsoever- usually reserved for really good friends, family, and lovers, which is why Momo's annoyed.)

Sougo: Why are you here? 

Sakura: I happen to be Momo's acquaintance. Thank goodness. You look well, I really missed you!

Sakura: I was searching for you all the time...I was so worried...

Momo reflects that she can understand Sakura's feelings, but at the same time she still hates the situation.

Sougo: Sakura, let's go outside.

Sakura: Eh?

Sougo: It's not convenient to speak here. Nii-san, I'm going to head out to the family restaurant nearby for a while.

As Sakura leaves, she apologizes for causing all the trouble.

Momo thinks, "What trouble? This is Sougo-niichan's home. He should be here."

She turns back to Arimatsu, "So you think this is amusing, don't you?"

Arimatsu: No, but you don't have to put on a facade.

Aoba: She...plans on taking Sougo-niichan back home.

Momo: If Sougo really returns to the Honda family, if he really decides to, there's not much I can do about it. Because Sakura-san's the same as me. She just wants to see her brother.

Gin: Silly, Sougo won't leave you for her.

Momo bursts into tears and looks to Gin for comfort, and he tells Aoba to take her upstairs so she could calm down. Meanwhile, Arimatsu wonders why Momo had cried when Gin said something but not when he did, to which Gin answers, "It's probably because we're siblings. Of course though, she's especially stubborn about Sougo."

Arimatsu: I know. But can those without blood relation still be called siblings?

At the restaurant...

Sakura: Nii-san, although many things have happened, time has already watered it down. Do you have any plans on coming back home? Dad and mom are worried about you. I know about your and Momo's situation now, but nii-san is still under the Honda family registry. We are your family who have always lived together.

Sougo: Family...?

Sakura (clasps her hands in delight): So you're going to return to us with me being a family? Really?  Of course, after that incident, I already went out with a lot of other people. I'm not the same as before, and I won't make you feel awkward anymore. Although...I still think nii-san is still the most gentle person in the world.

Back at home, Momo notices that it has started to rain heavily, and frantically rushes out the door with umbrellas to take to Sougo before Aoba could beat her to it. After Momo dashes off, Aoba notices that Arimatsu is still inside the house for some reason talking to Gin behind the door (and is more than ready to kick him out). And of course, he overhears something he isn't supposed to.

Gin: You say that you want to know more about the person you like, but even so, I want to ask you to refrain from stepping into our affairs to much. But just like you said, we don't have any blood relation to each other.

At the restaurant...

Sougo: Let's each go back then.

Sakura; Then about before...

Sougo: Impossible.

Sakura: Why? I already...

Sougo" You haven't changed, and besides, I have a promise to keep. I have to look after her until she attains happiness.

Momo reaches the restaurant just in time with umbrellas as they're both exiting. When Sakura sees Momo, she says, "Komatsu-san, I hadn't noticed for the past ten years....that I was only a replacement for you."

Sakura dashes off in tears, and Momo asks Sougo to go chase after her, to which Sougo denies.

Sougo: It won't help.

Momo: Why won't it help? Isn't Sakura-san your sister too? And you've lived together for so long.

Sougo: Why? Why are you speaking for her?

Momo: Because...I've always identified with Sakura's feelings, the feelings of longing for family. You don't understand how much she misses you. How can you be so cold to her when you know that I hold the same feelings?

Sougo: It's completely different!

Momo: What do you mean? Why?

Sougo: Do you want me to go back to the Honda family then?

Momo: That's not what I meant.

Sougo: She's not the same as you, because she holds romantic feelings for me. No matter how long we live together, we can never be true siblings.

Momo thinks, "Then the reason Sakura-san fought with Sougo was because of..."

Sougo: Why did dad have to pass away that day?

Momo: Eh?

Sougo: Thinking about it now, it wasn't as if I liked the idea of going to another person's house. I didn't want to separate with my family either. That time I didn't know how to continue on living, but then I met her. I decided to treat her well from then on, and the reason why I didn't write to you anymore was also because of her. But in the end, she was just a replacement for you.

Momo: Nii-chan, so you don't like Sakura-san?

Sougo: Of course not. But I don't hate her either. It's not her fault, it's mine. I was chasing after your shadow in her, and lost sight of her as her own person. In the end, I couldn't give her anything. And our relationship also froze as a result.

Of course, inside Momo's thinking how much more similar she and Sakura-san is after she hears Sougo's story.

Sougo: Anyways, let's stop the conversation here and head back. You don't have to worry about it, because there isn't anything you can do.

Momo: But I'm so jealous of Sakura-san!

Sougo: You...

Momo: I heard from Arimatsu-san. When you were talking to him about your "sister", you were referring to Sakura-san, right? 

Sougo: That was before our reunion.

Momo: You said your "sister' was hardworking...

Sougo: Enough, let's go back.

Momo: I don't care if she's a replacement for me or not, but she was the one acting as your sister all along. I only have a few memories with you when we were children, but she spent fifteen years with you.

Momo: And he (Arimatsu) still said that I wasn't realted to Sougo-niichan by blood.

Sougo: What...did you just say?

Momo: Eh?

Sougo: You said you were jealous of what?

Momo: Sorry! I just said something weird. L-let's go back.

Sougo: What did you mean?

Momo: Really, it isn't anything. Please let me go. I'm sorry, don't mind me.

Sougo: I can't. I can't pretend I didn't hear it. Because you're my...sister. 

(Dude...just man up and admit that you don't have pure sibling feelings for her either. Don't be so frustrating! Sorry, I have to rant.)

Sougo: I promised mom.

Momo thinks, "Promise. Sister. It's always been like this. I've always been nothing but that to him."

Sougo: You can't also be...

Momo: No...

Momo thinks, "It shouldn't be like this. I should have said this instead."

Said, "Sorry, I fell in love with you. I'm sorry."

Back at home, Gin finds Aoba poking around the closet. Aoba's digging up photos of their childhood, and asks Gin, "What did you mean by those words earlier?"

Gin: ?! You...

"You said we're not related by blood?"

And that's it guys! Phew, I haven't done page by page summaries in a loong time. Hope you enjoyed reading! I'm still waiting for a call from the bookstore for an issue of my magazine (which should have both chapter 13 and the one-shot by Enjouji Mari), so hopefully I can get my hands on both before the scanning groups online get to it. The one thing I really regret is not reading this series in Japanese, so I've been inwardly translating either niichan or niisan depending on how I think the characters would address each other. I've been dropping my novels (not the Hapi Mari ones, but some Japanese novels I picked up a year ago), so I feel like my Japanese is getting rusty.