Being Independent

"Being Independent" is the twenty eighth chapter and the fourth in volume six of Gokinjo Monogatari.

Plot
Mikako comes get Tsutomu to go to school together. He is shocked by her new hair style and thinks it's might be a wig. But she really got short hair cut in a beauty salon, as well as dyed her hair pink. She says she changed it because she was tired of old hairstyle. When they walking out of building, Noriji sees it first time and gets shocked too. Mikako shines up and asks him to call her in the future "sexy goddess".

On the subway platform she tells Tsutomu that she wouldn't go study abroad. He replies he knew, she would say that, because every time she has things she can't think through, she changes her hairstyle. So it doesn't mean she is "not going", she just "doesn't want to think about it anymore". She thinks she just doesn't want to ruin their finally peaceful and nice romantic relationship, so she's regrets a bit her achivements and dream to be designer. She asks him again to tell her not to go. He sadly smiles, but doesn't reply.

At school, Risa tells Mikako that her thoughts are about a kind of dependence, she thinks. Also everybody likes her new hairstyle. Mikako feels troubled and lacks of  comforting.

She goes tallk to Tokumori in the bar. He sees her hair and asks right away what happened between her and Tsutomu. Hearing Mikako's name, beautiful woman, that sits next to her, asks Tokumori introduce her, since she often hear Hiroaki talk about her. Hiroaki introduces woman as Michiyo Niihara, his college schoolmate from Okayama. And also Mikako gets to know Michiyo is his fiance, who already lives with him.

At home, Mikako tells about Hiroaki's fiance to her mother and Seiji. The wedding take place next spring. Seiji asks Mikako if she feels lonely because person who is like a brother to her getting married. She points out she is not a monster who isn't happy looking at someone else's happiness. They making up after previous argument. Then he helps her to make a skirt for a friend. During this, she realizes that it's more fun to her to make things together with someone than doing it alone. She tells him, that since she's only child, she always been cooped up in a room by herself. Seiji says he understands the feeling. When he was four his parents died in a car crash. After that his grandmother raised him, but three years later she also died. But he is happy now, since when he is around Ruriko and Mikako he feels like he has a family. Mikako says she think about him as a family too. She confesses that she totally confused about what to do with studying abroad. Seiji comforts her, saying that if she doesn't want to study abroad, it doesn't mean that the value of her dream has decreased. Neither it doesn't mean that she is a weak person, or that she is useless. It's okay just defend what she believes is the most important thing right now since it also takes a lot of courage. Seiji words calmed her down and also very impressed, since it was first time in her life she felt like someone holds her tightly without even touching her.

On the next day Mikako and Tsutomu go to visit her father. On their way there Mikako tells Tsutomu that he is the most important thing in her life, and that's why she doesn't want to go abroad. Then they unexpectedly meet Mariko and Mikako decided to spend some time with her, while Tsutomu goes ahead to her dad.

Mariko says she is doing nothing at all for now, just normal stuff like shopping with friends or a go for a drive with Shu. It's her recharging time. Mikako says they all yelled at Yuusuke for not stopping her from leaving school. But Shintaro had explained them that it was for her own sake. Mariko says she was a bit angry at Yuusuke for not trying to stop her, but now she thinks it was right. She is living more happy life now. Mariko  also tells Mikako that it's very burdensome to the other person when you can't live without them, so Mikako should be careful to not tyre out Tsutomu. It makes Mikako think that she making Tsutomu go through pain, and may be if she would go to London, on the other side of lonelyness, he will be sighting in relief.

Character appearances

 * Harumi Kobayashi
 * Hiroaki Tokumori
 * Kozue Shimamoto
 * Kuro
 * Mai Oota
 * Mariko Nakasu
 * Michiyo Niihara (First appearance)
 * Mikako Kouda
 * Ms. Hamada (Only in Mikako's thoughts)
 * Nobuko Takada
 * Noriji Sunami
 * Risa Kanzaki
 * Ruriko Kouda
 * Seiji Kisaragi
 * Tsutomu Yamaguchi