I can’t take Kyou wa Kaisha Yasumimasu too seriously as either a realistic depiction of modern romantic choices or even the lottery jackpot lot of leading lady Hanae having incisive Yu and eager Yuto vying for her heart. Both require a leap of faith but once there the story remains a fun romp to see how an anachronistic Hanae deals with thorny important issues in love. What will she do at the crossroads between marriage and setting Yuto free to pursue his dream? It’s important to note that she seemingly can’t have both, in which case she does have a big decision to make in this episode. Once again Yu rises to save the day, for both Hanae and Yuto.

There’s much satisfaction to the second male lead basically serving as the mature and insightful relationship advisor to the immature couple. It’s sad to see Hanae so quickly butt up against important worries about her future to Yuto when she was so enjoying herself on their onsen trip at the beginning of the episode, but it must be said that she was able to sense that something wasn’t right with Yuto giving up grad school to marry her. The relationship has really been exposed as right person, wrong time, and sometimes that’s a bitter pill which must be swallowed. Luckily for Hanae, it’s easier that Yu is waiting in the wings with a glass of champagne to wash it down.

Episode 9 recap:

Hanae and Yuto grab dinner with Yuto’s mom before she returns to Kyoto from her business trip to Tokyo. Yuto informs Mom that he’s changed his mind: he’s not going to grad school anymore and will instead look for a job after he gets married. Mom is relieved and even asks Hanae warmly to take care of her Yuto after hearing that it’s all in anticipation of the couple getting married soon. Hhhhmmm, Mom seems very understanding and strangely not worried cuz I sure am. Mom gives the lovebirds a free Kyoto onsen hotel voucher for them to enjoy a trip together.

Hanae cautiously approaches Boss the next morning to take her first ever paid day off. Boss is more than happy to oblige and curiously probes where she’s headed. When he hears that she’s going to an onsen, she sneaks a look at Yuto sitting at his desk trying to act nonchalant.

Hanae shows her parents a picture of Yuto’s very young, very pretty restaurant critic mom in a magazine. Dad riles Mom up when he admires Yuto’s mom a little too long. Hanae informs her parents that after Yuto gets a job they are planning to get married. Mom is thrilled and happily hugs her daughter while Dad goes outside to sit with Mamoru and sigh, his little girl is all grown up and soon to get married.

Hanae happily packs for her first trip with Yuto, and the next morning she greets her usual bus stop gang even though she’s standing on the opposite side of the street headed the other direction. Yuto calls the office to ask for a sick day and So knowingly conveys the message. Boss points out that Hanae is out of the office today as well and So quickly smooths it over for them.

Hanae and Yuto arrive at the onsen resort and she immediately gets called a “Mrs” which makes her all giddy.

Yuto suggest she enjoy the rotenburo (open air onsen) and Hanae happily climbs in and feels like the happiest girl in the world. When boyfriend Yuto walks out to join her, Hanae immediately goes all wide-eyed and hunches in the corner of the tub even though these two have been intimate for god knows how long now.

After the bath they wander the hotel and come across the game room with ping pong tables. They couple play a game and Hanae feels like it doesn’t even matter if she wins or loses, she’s already on top of the world! She then totally smokes Yuto at ping pong.

The couple return to their hotel room where the bedding is already laid out and both happily flop on the bed in tired happiness. Yuto gets up to massage Hanae’s back and she’s so happy and relaxed to have such a male god tending to her.

Hanae’s fantasy then intrudes and the scene turns dark as chef Mushi walks in to declare that Hanae has been in a practical joke reality show the entire time she was dating Yuto. Mushi pulls open the closet and the mastermind that is Sayaka walks out talking into her watch and Yuto then repeats the same words.

Hanae asks why they are doing this and all three repeat that it’s not fair for Hanae to be this happy while Yuto is the only one sacrificing and suffering. Hanae wakes up from her nightmare and feels that Yuto has been taking care of her and treating her so well whereas she’s done nothing for him. She decides to find out what she can do for him going forward.

The couple return to Tokyo with Hanae still thinking over all the little things Yuto does with her that makes her heart beat faster. She decides to do something for Yuto that will make his heart beat faster. She read somewhere that a woman should serve tea naked with just an apron for her man, but that’s too much for her level to attempt. She sees Yuto cleaning his ears and remembers how her mom does it for her dad and he really enjoys it. Her offer to do it for Yuto gets a quick no need from him.

Hanae then tries to be really sweet and cute such as scooting over to rest her head on her shoulder but that only makes Yuto think she’s acting weird. She then gets up and fake falls down to get his sympathy but he doesn’t even notice. Hanae returns home huffing and puffing that all her attempts have failed. Mom and Dad notice Hanae’s rather out of it while she finds it so hard to do something nice back for Yuto.

Hanae brings to work the next morning presents from the onsen trip. The office mates dig in and So hilariously wonders if it’ll taste better with ketchup on it LOL.

Hanae encounters Yu at their usual lunch restaurant and he greets her this time and invites her to sit down. He immediately wonders what she wants to talk about since normally he needs to push her before she’ll sit with him. Hanae reveals she’s planning to marry Yuto after he graduates and Yu’s cold response leaves her certain her relationship with Yu is totally antagonistic since he’s not acting all happy for her.

Hanae pushes forward to ask what a woman can do for a man to thank him. Yu asks with a smile if she’s doing it for him but Hanae retorts that she’s doing it for Yuto who has given her much happiness. Yu suggests stripping naked and tying a bow around herself as the present. Hanae yells back that she’s being serious!

Yu gets serious and says the best thing a woman can do for a man is to accompany him in his pursuit of his dreams, even better if she can occasionally give him a push. Hanae mulls this over while Yu gets out to go pay. He tells her that finding someone like that is even harder than accomplishing ones dream, which is why it’s all the more precious.

Yuto finds Boss as he’s getting in the elevator to ask for time to talk about the job offer. Boss has to run but will talk to Yuto later to hear if he’s changed his mind and wants to work at the company after graduating. After Boss finally sits down with Yuto, he’s happy to hear that Yuto wants to stay on but doesn’t buy his reason. He brings up Hanae and Yuto is surprised Boss has cottoned on to the two of them.

Hanae runs into Yuto’s professor and research sunbae at Mushi’s restaurant. The professors hears that Hanae is Yuto’s girlfriend and laments how Yuto has changed since getting the girlfriend. He no longer wants to go to grad school which is such a shame since he’s so talented.

After the professor leaves, research sunbae comes back to speak with Hanae privately about Yuto. She can tell Yuto likes Hanae very much and his biggest strength and weakness is that he will go to great lengths for the people he cares about. She reveals that she dated Yuto before which is why she knows him well. It’s such a shame he’s giving up grad school because he’s so talented with a great future ahead of him.

Yuto joins Hanae at the restaurant and Mushi asks first about why he changed his life goals and is giving up grad school? Yuto confirms that he’s doing it because his priorities have changed and is planning to marry Hanae. She asks again if he’s certain about giving up grad school and Yuto’s answer that he can’t let her wait that many years leaves her even more worried.

After dinner Hanae goes home explaining that she needs to walk Mamoru. Yuto asks to go watch the night lights tomorrow night before giving her a sweet kiss on the forehead and heading home. Hanae thinks to herself that she’s getting yet another happiness from Yuto even before she has discovered what she can do for him.

Hanae takes Mamoru for a walk and mulls through so much that’s changed in Yuto’s life and decides that the best choice for him is to go to grad school. Mamoru suddenly refuses to walk and Hanae thinks back to what Yu said, the best woman is the kind who gives her man a push. She realizes that she’s just dragging Yuto’s future down so the only thing she can do for him now is to give him a push.

Ryusei finds Hitomi in the storage area and helps her out while giddy that the office hasn’t discovered that they are dating. Hitomi tells him to stop jumping the gun since she never said they were dating. Ryusei points out that they’ve dined privately together three times now. Hitomi tells him to make a reservation at Yu’s restaurant for the 24th opening day and Ryusei is ecstatic because that’s Christmas eve which couples spend together.

Hanae and Yuto finish viewing the lights when she gets up her courage to bring up what Yuto is missing out by giving up grad school. He doesn’t think so because he doesn’t see a future without Hanae. She breaks up with him and tells him to go to grad school because he’ll come to regret it. Yuto refuses to break up so she pulls out the big guns and lies that she doesn’t like Yuto anymore and is dating Yu now.

Yuto calls her out on the lie but Hanae insists she is telling the truth, she’s a terrible woman who two-timed Yuto with Yu. She forcibly hands back his apartment key and thanks him for the wonderful relationship they had. Hanae takes off before she breaks down crying.

Hanae goes home and cries and cries while Dad doesn’t know what to do. He whispers to Mom about what happened and Mom comforts her in a warm embrace.

Hanae calls Yu the next day to ask him for a return favor for when she played his fake wife, she wants him now to just play along as her boyfriend if he ever runs into Yuto. Hanae told Yuto they were dating and needs Yu to corroborate her lie. Yu is more concerned about what happened since she was planning on marrying Yuto. Hanae assures him all is well but they broke up. Yu tells Hanae to let him know if she ever needs him and he’ll come running.

Boss notices that Yuto is not at work and wonders why there was no call in sick. So covers for Yuto before pulling Hanae aside to ask if anything happened. Hanae insists everything is fine and So gives her advice to repeat ketchup ten times if she’s worried about anything since it’s just weird and funny and will make her laugh.

Yuto pays Yu a visit at his restaurant and asks for a minute of his time. Yuto knows that Yu dating Hanae is a lie and Yu immediately admits it. He even shares that Hanae asked him to play the part well so Yuto wouldn’t find out the truth. Yuto doesn’t look amused in the least and Yu assures Yuto that he’s not dating Hanae.

Yu reverses the request and asks for another moment of Yuto’s time to ask that he let Hanae go and stop tormenting her. Since Yuto started dating Hanae he’s losing more of himself. Both of them are trying too hard and being accommodating but it’s only forcing each other to change in order to keep up the same pace. That’s just the road to breaking up and Hanae has realized that. If she keeps dating Yuto then it’ll ruin his future, so the best thing she can do for him is to break up. Yu points out that Yuto isn’t even aware of this, and reminds Yuto that he once asked if he really understood Hanae? Yuto sadly admits he doesn’t really know Hanae.

Hanae heads to the bookstore and picks up a book that discusses love as sacrificing for the other person. She totally thinks the book is talking about her noble kind of love and buys it home to read. Ichika visits and reads the books to tease Hanae about being so overwhelmed just by a break up. She warns Hanae not to quit her job and become a nun which Hanae was considering because her heart hurts so much.

Ichika calmly tells her that time will heal wounds but the first move is to delete Yuto’s number from her cell so she’s not tempted or waiting for his call. Ichika thinks breaking up now is better than waiting until later to discover this isn’t the relationship either wants. Ichika tells Hanae not to worry as a new romance will come eventually.

Yuto is brooding on campus when research sunbae walks by to chat. Yuto blames her for saying things to Hanae that led to her decision to break up. Sunbae doesn’t feel bad because she believes this is the best path for Yuto. She was watching Yuto make the same mistakes again, giving up himself for the sake of the relationship. She doesn’t care if Yuto is mad at her as long as he goes down the right path in his life.

Hanae contemplates deleting Yuto’s number from her cell but in the end can’t bring herself to do it. She gets a call from Yu telling her that Yuto was by to ask if they were dating. He then invites her to the restaurant tomorrow to talk after work.

At work the next day, Boss announces to the entire office that Yuto is quitting at the end of this year to focus on grad school. The gang decide that this year’s end of the year party will also be a farewell party for Yuto

Hanae drops by Yu’s restaurant after work and he welcomes her inside while rocking a perfectly fitted tux. Yu pours champagne for them before announcing that Hanae is the first customer of the restaurant since it’s officially opening tomorrow. He always intended it that way since she went to the sausage factory with him.

Yu is happy to see Hanae not as depressed as he thought and urges her to eat good food tonight and get her spirits back up. Hanae thanks Yu who ribs her for being so weird, most women would break up after finding another boyfriend. Hanae gets annoyed again and calls him out for being so rude to a lady by pointing out her faults, he’s not a middle school kid anymore to speak without filter.

Yu sasses back that he can’t be normal alone and leave her being weird all by herself. Ahahaha. Hanae counters back that compared to him, she’s totally normal so he needn’t worry about her. Yu accepts her suggestion and will try harder to say nice things. Hanae approves of that and thinks he’ll be so much more pleasant if he stuck to pleasantries.

Yu grows thoughtful at the suggestion to say nice things and sits down across from Hanae before asking “Will you marry me?” Hanae thinks he’s joking but Yu is dead serious and explains in the swooniest proposal ever “You just stay the same, you don’t need to change, say what you want and do what you want, just stay beside me and be happy. So….marry me.”

Thoughts of Mine:

I don’t think Hanae should marry either guy right now but hot damn was that Yu proposal so gaspworthy with the combination of what he says and how he says it. He has the sexy that Yuto just never present with, not really any fault of the young’un but he’s just too untried to convincingly deliver any smolder. Hanae breaking up with Yuto to get him back on track was the most sane decision she’s made so far in dating him. If he’s going to change his entire life goal just to marry her, rather than integrating her into his path, then something has to give because that is one hella stupid decision to make for love. I can’t believe it took his professor, sunbae, Yu, and Hanae to collectively smack some sense into him. I don’t think giving up grad school to enter the work force is per se the wrong decision, but his reason for doing so is not right and that’s why Hanae really rose up to the challenge of being a thoughtful girlfriend who doesn’t just worry about her own insecurity all the time.

At this point Yu is so delectable and hot I want to marry and run that restaurant with him, Hanae and her myopic fixation on Yuto bedamned. How can she not see that Yu is serious about her is beyond me, and always it’s the little things Yu says and does that linger longer than the typical lovey dovey displays of affection between Hanae and Yuto. I appreciate all the sensibility around Hanae, from her supportive parents and Mamoru to all the coworkers at the office who offer helping hands and comforting shoulders when needed. It’s nice to see the other threads get tied up, such as Ryusei finally succeeding with Hitomi even if she wants to tease him a bit longer, or how seemingly clueless Boss was always in the know about everything. I’m fairly certain the ending will be typical OTP reuniting and then finding a way to work through the seeming impasse, but even the possibility of Yu getting the girl was a nice high while it lasted.