Arcobaleno! – Saotome Nikichi

My second favorite character. I love Nikichi’s personality and how he treats the people around him, because no matter how harsh he is, he’s usually right. More cuteness ahead. (๑´ლ`๑)♡

Nikichi is Arcobaleno’s 28 year old manager, even though he looks like a high school student. Despite his cute appearance, Nikichi is actually a cool realist who’s always strict to everyone. Nikichi keeps Ryuu in control most of the time, and he also keeps a paper fan just to slap Ryuu when the latter goes wild. As the central pillar of Arcobaleno, Nikichi brings everyone together to run the restaurant with a good teamwork. He’s loved by all the staff and the customers.

Cooking Test 1
Theme: “Antipasto / Appetizer” • Nikichi’s Recipe: Marinated Sardines

On July 7, Yuuna finds Nikichi surrounded by some women outside. It turns out they’re regular customers in Arcobaleno, and they often come before the opening hour just to hand presents to him. Nikichi’s popularity with the ladies always makes Ryuu jealous, and he also tells Yuuna that the decorations in Arcobaleno are mostly gifts from their customers — given personally to Nikichi. Kaname doesn’t get why Nikichi is so popular, but Haruto says it’s because he has an impressive memory. Nikichi remembers their customers’ hobbies, school or office names, and even their birthdays. Whenever a female regular customer comes to eat in Arcobaleno on her birthday, Nikichi always prepares a card or a small present for her. It’s the best service a girl could ever ask for.

Just then Nikichi returns inside, and upon hearing what they’re talking about, he smiles saying he’s indeed popular and aware of it. ヽ(*´ー`*)ﾉ He also asks how much money he can get by selling a watch he received earlier, but he quickly says it’s a joke. Even though he’s usually stingy and keeps thinking of profit all the time, Nikichi never sold the gifts he received from his fangirls. In fact, they’re all stored carefully in his room. Kaname thinks Nikichi suits a host club better than a restaurant, but of course Nikichi won’t ever leave Arcobaleno.. or else Ryuu will cry a river of tears. Before the opening the restaurant, Nikichi also teaches Yuuna about their table and counter seat numbers.

In the evening, Nikichi asks Yuuna to deliver a dinner knife to table 1. The woman on the table is surprised because she just dropped her knife, and Yuuna came before she could even ask for a replacement. Yuuna is impressed that Nikichi noticed such a small thing, but he says they can hear a lot of sounds in the sala. They just need to listen carefully and act according to the customers’ behavior, because for him top-quality service is to read the customer’s needs and serve them before they ask. When Yuuna and Nikichi are taking a break in the office, suddenly a small girl walks in from the back door and asks them to play with her. She introduces herself as Igarashi Aika, and Nikichi explains to Yuuna that Aika is his niece — the daughter of his late older sister. Soon Aika’s father, Masashi, comes to stop his daughter from bothering them, and after introducing himself to Yuuna, he takes Aika to have dinner in the sala.

Yuuna sends them off after dinner, and Aika asks her to play together next time. Nikichi thanks Yuuna for keeping Aika company today, explaining that Aika gets lonely easily since she often spends time alone at home. Earlier she told Nikichi that Yuuna is a “kind big sister”, so it seems like she has taken a liking on Yuuna. Nikichi says it’s okay to scold Aika if she’s disturbing their work, and Yuuna replies that she’ll tell Aika properly if that ever happens.

Cooking Test 2
Theme: “Pizza” • Nikichi’s Recipe: Pizza Marinara

A few days after the first test, Ryuu is panicking because Haruto went to a neighboring town three hours ago and hasn’t returned. There’s a problem with the transmission line, and Haruto is now trapped inside the train. Σ(Д｀|||ノ)ノ Luckily Haruto is fine and hungry as usual, but they don’t know how long the reparation will take.. and they only have 30 minutes before lunchtime. They won’t be able to serve the customers without Haruto’s food, so Nikichi decides to close Arcobaleno until Haruto returns. However, Kiyo enters the restaurant just before Kaname can put the notice outside. Nikichi quickly explains the situation to her, but instead of leaving, Kiyo asks Yuuna to cook her lunch instead. Of course Yuuna is surprised and turns to Nikichi for help, but he only smiles saying she can leave everything to him.

After a while, Nikichi delivers Kiyo’s order — scallops carpaccio & lobster linguini — to Yuuna, who has been waiting nervously in the kitchen. He tells her not to worry because Kiyo doesn’t expect her to reach Haruto’s level, and he’s ready to help her in his own way. Nikichi might not be able to cook, but he can tell Yuuna about the seasoning Kiyo loves and hates. Kiyo is pretty satisfied with Yuuna’s cooking, but she knows Nikichi must be helping her in the kitchen. After all, he’s the only person who can remember people’s preferences so perfectly. Before leaving the restaurant, Kiyo asks Nikichi to think about a certain issue. Yuuna notices that Nikichi looks troubled, but then he smiles and praises her for not losing to the pressure earlier.

When Kaname wonders why someone like Nikichi is working in Arcobaleno, Nikichi admits that he actually refused when Ryuu tried to recruit him. He knows he’s got an impressive memory, but he didn’t think he can manage a restaurant. Nikichi grew to love this job after five years of experience, and while he says it’s normal for people to get used to their job, Yuuna thinks it’s impressive how he can go this far only in five years. Soon Haruto returns to Arcobaleno, and he explains that he actually went out because Kiyo forced him to replace a sick lecturer for a cooking class. Now that Haruto is back, Nikichi finally opens Arcobaleno for lunchtime.

In the evening, Yuuna delivers a grilled fish to a customer. The man mentions that he’s getting fat and is trying to reduce calories, but he just can’t stop eating in Arcobaleno since their food is always so delicious. Haruto cooks a risotto for everyone after work, and Yuuna goes to tell Nikichi in the office that dinner is ready. He asks them to eat first because he still has work to do, but she keeps staring at him because he’s wearing glasses.. and they make him look even more charming than usual. (๑´ლ`๑)♡ Yuuna wonders if he has bad eyesight, and Nikichi says he usually wears contacts at work.. but his eyes get tired at night, so he always switches to glasses after work. Nikichi then asks if Yuuna finds something unusual today, since he might be able to add it to his business log. Aside from recording customer information, he also keeps track of their sales, supplies and even information about new wines everyday in his business log. Yuuna then gives him a detailed report about the customer who’s worried about calories, and Nikichi praises her for watching the customers properly. .｡ﾟ+.ヽ(*´∀`*)ﾉﾟ+.ﾟ。.

Cooking Test 3
Theme: “Pasta” • Nikichi’s Recipe: Vongole Bianco

Cooking Test 4
Theme: “Risotto” • Nikichi’s Recipe: Chicken Fillet & Liver Risotto

Summer Festival

On August 19, everyone goes to the summer festival together. Unlike Ryuu who wastes his money on lottery, Nikichi plays ball darts beside the lottery stand and wins a LOT of prizes. He says they need to think about expenditure and return before playing, and he shows Yuuna an aromatic candle from his prize bag — saying he’ll use the candles to serve their customers on their birthdays. (ﾟ∇ﾟﾉﾉ”☆ﾊﾟﾁﾊﾟﾁ Ryuu then asks Nikichi to draw the lottery for him, but Nikichi refuses since lotteries are too risky and would only waste their money LOL. For the courage test, Yuuna draws Nikichi’s name from the lottery. Everyone wants to tag along since they’re worried about Yuuna spending time along with Nikichi, but Nikichi only smiles and calmly asks them not to get jealous over a lottery. (○´ﾟωﾟ｀):;*.’:;ﾌﾞｯ

As they walk through the mountain path together, Yuuna feels scared because it’s really dark and quiet. On the other hand, Nikichi is really calm and tells her that reality is far more terrifying than ghosts. Like Arcobaleno’s profit and expenses, for example. xD Nikichi then asks if she’s scared of ghosts, and when Yuuna admits that she does, he smiles saying she’s a girl after all. He also says she looks good in her yukata today, as the yukata makes her even cuter than usual. ||萌||ョ´∀`。)萌えぇ～↑ To help relieving her fear, Nikichi then asks Yuuna to hold hands with him.. but the moment she holds out her hand, he puts his arm around her waist and pulls her closer instead. (*ﾉ∀ﾉ)ｷｬｰ♡ Nikichi laughs and tells Yuuna not to trust men so easily, but before she can protest, he suddenly asks her to keep quiet and lets go. Then he walks to the bushes nearby and whips out his paper fan to slap Ryuu and everyone else — who’s actually been stalking them all along. ﾌﾟｯ(※థэథ)∵.*.∵

Cooking Test 5
Theme: “Meat / Fish” • Nikichi’s Recipe: Pork Shoulder Sauté with Balsamic Vinegar Sauce

Two weeks later, Nikichi goes out to deliver a forgotten shopping bag to their customer. That night Arcobaleno is full of customers, and Yuuna has to help Kaname in the sala until Nikichi returns. She greets a couple who enters the restaurant and apologizes because they’re full, but she’s really surprised when the man claims that he has made a reservation.. which is true since his name is indeed written in the reservation list. Neither Yuuna and Kaname have heard about this before, and they don’t know what to do since there are no tables left. The couple is celebrating their first anniversary today, so obviously they’re really disappointed when Yuuna apologizes for the mistake.

The couple then leaves Arcobaleno to look for another restaurant, and knowing they probably will never return if she lets them go, Yuuna thinks about what Nikichi would do in this situation. Instead of forcing them to return inside, she uses her knowledge to recommend another Italian restaurant for them. She explains that she knows a lot about the restaurants in this area, and she guides them to the restaurant after making a reservation for them. Obviously they’re really surprised that Yuuna is willing to go this far just for them, and the man promises to come back and eat in Arcobaleno someday. When Yuuna returns to Arcobaleno, she finds Nikichi waiting for her outside. She apologizes for taking the couple to another restaurant, but he smiles and says she made the best decision. Nikichi was shocked upon hearing a trouble occured when he was away, but he never thought Yuuna would do such a perfect follow-up. Yuuna feels really happy when Nikichi thanks her, and she returns to work with a smile. (人´∀`)☆゜’・:*

After work, Nikichi chases after Yuuna and asks if he can walk her home. Along the way, he tells her that he called the customer from earlier to apologize about the reservation. It was his mistake for forgetting to tell the staff, but the customer then asked him to deliver a message to her — “the restaurant’s food was delicious, thank you.” Just as he promised earlier, the man also made another reservation in Arcobaleno for next month. Nikichi is impressed that Yuuna can think of such a good solution, and he’s surprised when she answers that she simply put herself in his shoes. Nikichi never expected Yuuna to understand his way of thinking, and he blushes when Yuuna says it’s because she’s always watching Nikichi at work. She admires his top-quality service, so she keeps stealing glances at him everyday. (❤ฺ￫艸￩) Nikichi feels bad for causing trouble today, but Yuuna thinks it’s because he’s tired due to overworking. He doesn’t seem to be aware of this though, so she asks him to rely on everyone else too. When Yuuna says she’ll help him however she can, Nikichi smiles saying she’s right. Up until now he always thinks everything will be over if he makes a mistake, but right now he has them.

Nikichi then walks Yuuna all the way to the dorm, and he blushes again when she admits that walking home with him makes her happy. ♪ﾟ+.ｏ(*萌´д`从´д`萌*)ｏ.+ﾟ♪ Upon seeing the dorms, Nikichi says he envies them for having a fun school life. When Yuuna asks if his school days weren’t fun, he quickly says they were.. but then he quietly adds that something painful also happened during those days. Nikichi bids her goodnight and leaves after that, but later on he mails Yuuna saying a police mistook him for a junior high student and scolded him for walking around at night. ﾌﾟｯ(※థэథ)∵.*.∵ The police didn’t believe him even after seeing his driving license, so he had to take the police all the way to Arcobaleno and ask both Ryuu and Haruto to explain everything LOL.

Cooking Test 6
Theme: “Dolce / Dessert” • Nikichi’s Recipe: Affogato al Caffè

On the next day off, Yuuna visited Nikichi in Arcobaleno. She thinks he’s busy because he’s working on something with a serious expression, but then he asks her to come in and help him making cards for their customers. It appears that Nikichi doesn’t only make birthday cards, but also for anniversaries and other occasion as well. He’s getting tired since he’s making a lot at once, so Yuuna gladly helps cutting up the cards as he decorates them with pressed flowers. Yuuna thinks it’s really nice how Nikichi writes on the cards instead of printing them, and how he uses pressed flowers instead of picture seals — the cards are all 100% handmade. Nikichi laughs saying the cards look cheap and poor, but Yuuna can see that he looks happy. (*´∀`*) After they’re done making all the cards, Yuuna says she really had fun. Nikichi says he might ask her to help again if she put it like that, and when she answers she’d gladly help, he gives one of the cards to her. It’s decorated with a cute orange flower, and Yuuna finds a message written by Nikichi inside: “Good work, thank you.” (๑´ლ`๑)♡

The following week, Yuuna comes to Arcobaleno and finds the office empty. Sad that Nikichi is away, Yuuna sits down and starts spacing out until she eventually falls asleep. She wakes up later due to a ticklish sensation on her forehead, and when she opens her eyes, she finds Nikichi grinning in front of her. He says her sleeping face is so cute even though she shouldn’t be sleeping here, and Yuuna blushes as she apologizes.. until she realized that he’s holding a marker. Why of course, Nikichi just wrote “肉 / meat” on her forehead. (○´ﾟωﾟ｀):;*.’:;ﾌﾞｯ Nikichi then admits he was actually thinking of kissing Yuuna because she looked really cute, and he asks which one would she prefer — the doodle or the kiss. Yuuna only says that she’d never draw on his sleeping face, so Nikichi asks if that means she’d kiss him. (*ﾉ∀ﾉ)ｲﾔﾝ She then asks if he used a water-based marker, but he calmly answers he used a marker which turns waterproof when it’s dry.. and it has completely dried off as they talk LOL. Poor girl. xD

That night, if Yuuna mails him saying she’d rather have “the other option”, Nikichi answers that he’ll kiss her the next time she’s sleeping in front of him again. ||萌||ョ´∀`。)萌えぇ～↑

Two days later, Yuuna spots Nikichi on the way to work. She goes over to greet him, but she stops upon noticing that he’s talking to Kiyo. Just when Yuuna was about to leave, she hears Kiyo asking Nikichi if staying in Arcobaleno is really the best option. He says Arcobaleno won’t be able to operate without him, and Kiyo says that’s exactly why Arcobaleno isn’t improving at all — the staff are too dependent on him. Besides, Nikichi himself won’t be able to grow if he’s supporting other people all the time. It turns out that Kiyo actually already asked Nikichi to work in Estremo’s branch restaurant before, and today she’s repeating the offer because he didn’t take it seriously last time. Nikichi clearly refuses saying he doesn’t have any intentions to leave Arcobaleno, but Kiyo only tells him to think about it. (´・ω・`；)

Yuuna quickly hides in the shadows when Kiyo leaves, but Fuuta’s loud greeting soon reveals her presence to Nikichi — who’s obviously shocked to see her. She apologizes for listening to their conversation, and he asks her not to tell anyone about what she just heard. When Yuuna promises to keep quiet, Nikichi tells her not to worry. He will never leave Arcobaleno, and he’ll only keep refusing Kiyo’s offer even if she come to ask him again. However, Yuuna has a bad feeling about this. She keeps wondering if Nikichi really has no intentions to leave Arcobaleno, and the thought keeps bothering her all day. That night, Yuuna cooks spaghetti alla carbonara for everyone’s dinner. Nikichi says Yuuna’s home cooking always gives him energy to do his best tomorrow, and Yuuna is happy to see him eating her food. She doesn’t want to imagine Arcobaleno without him, so in the end she decides to believe in him.

After dinner, Ryuu informs everyone that he’s planning to close Arcobaleno for two days next month. He wants everyone to have a relaxation trip together, and he’s taking them to visit a hot spring during those two days. He also wants them to bring their own yukata for the trip, since wearing the inn’s yukata will be so plain. xD Everyone is excited for a lot of reasons, but that’s only until Nikichi raises a protest. He says the trip means more expenses for Arcobaleno, but he’s surprised when Ryuu says the trip is actually for him. Nikichi is always working so hard, so Ryuu wants him to relax and get enough rest during the trip. Sadly — just as expected — Nikichi says he’s completely fine and he’s resting properly.. so they don’t need any hot spring trips and that’s final. Σ(；∀； lll)

Before going home, Yuuna goes upstairs to deliver a book for Nikichi. She finds him asleep on the sofa and puts the book as quietly as she can, but he notices her presence and wakes up. Yuuna apologizes for waking him up, but Nikichi is actually thankful because he still has some work left to do. When Yuuna says she’s worried about him, Nikichi smiles saying she’s really kind, but he can’t rest until he returns Arcobaleno to Ryuu’s hands. Realizing that he never told Yuuna anything, Nikichi explains that Aika was actually born with a deadly illness. Her mother had a weak body too, and she died soon after giving birth to Aika. A surgery was necessary to save Aika’s life, so Nikichi quit college and started working to help Masashi collecting money for the surgery. It didn’t seem like they can save her on time, but suddenly Ryuu — who was Nikichi’s junior back in college — gave him Arcobaleno in order to obtain the remaining amount of money. At first Nikichi refused since he doesn’t want to feel indebted, but Ryuu said Nikichi can pay him back by working in Arcobaleno. When Aika’s condition took a turn for the worst, Nikichi finally accepted Ryuu’s offer to save his niece’s life. After his sister’s death, Aika is the only blood relative he has left.. and he didn’t want to lose her.

Compared to all the sadness he had to go through, Nikichi says a little fatigue is nothing to him. Yuuna can understand his feelings, but still.. she doesn’t want to see him forcing himself that much. She asks him to rely on her and everyone else, but suddenly he grabs her shoulders and asks her not to make him even more confused. Everytime Yuuna treats him kindly, Nikichi feels that he’s about to lose himself and listen to her words instead. He only has one objective in life, and he’ll become dependent if that objective starts shaking. Nikichi then says he doesn’t have a dream like Yuuna, Kaname and Fuuta. He’s not as strong as Haruto, and not as kind as Ryuu. He’s only a person who keeps running towards his objective while hiding his weakness at the same time, because he doesn’t want to betray everyone’s trust. Yuuna replies nobody will be disappointed even if NIkichi shows his weak side, and she confesses that if she can support him, then she wants to stay with him forever. However, Nikichi then lets go of Yuuna and apologizes for saying weird things. Before she could reply, he smiles, says goodbye and goes downstairs — leaving her with pain in her chest.

On September 27, Yuuna comes to Arcobaleno to find Ryuu and Nikichi fighting on the second floor. Ryuu is angry because Nikichi refuses to take a break, and he also saw Nikichi drinking a cold medicine last night. Nikichi doesn’t look well either right now, so Ryuu won’t let him work today — it’s the owner’s order. As for the restaurant, they should be able to work without him if it’s only for one day. Since Nikichi won’t listen, Ryuu then asks Yuuna to make a decision for them. Just like before, Yuuna asks Nikichi to rely on them when he’s feeling unwell — they will do their best to cover his absence. Unfortunately this doesn’t work, and Ryuu sadly wonders why Nikichi is pushing himself so hard. Is it because he can’t trust them? Nikichi doesn’t reply and runs off downstairs, where they find Kiyo in their office. It’s the worst person coming at the worst timing ever. ( ಠ_ಠ )

Everyone is surprised to see Kiyo relaxing in their office, but Kiyo calmly says that she’s here to talk to both Ryuu and Nikichi. She directly tells them she wants Nikichi to work in Estremo’s branch restaurant, pointing out that Arco is relying too much on him. It would be for the best if they go on their separate ways. (╯ ಠ益ಠ ）╯︵ ┻━┻ When Kiyo reveals that it’s been quite a while since she first asked Nikichi, Ryuu is shocked because he never heard anything about this before. Nikichi simply says there’s no need to tell everyone, and this causes Ryuu to think that Nikichi is planning to leave Arcobaleno without saying anything to them. He’s disappointed that Nikichi never tells them anything, and he tells Nikichi to get out and go wherever he wants. Nikichi is shocked to hear such words coming from Ryuu, but then he agrees and leaves with Kiyo. Ryuu tells Yuuna and Fuuta not to chase after him, and Yuuna is about to protest when she realized that Ryuu is crying. Ryuu knows Nikichi will keep forcing himself here because of what happened to Aika, but Yuuna tells him that Nikichi loves Arcobaleno too. He uses his free time to do something for Arcobaleno — like making cards or writing reports — and he won’t go that far if it’s just pure responsibility. They all know Ryuu regrets his words too, but they don’t have time to chase after Nikichi now because lunchtime is coming.

Despite everyone’s effort to run Arcobaleno without Nikichi, his fangirls leave as soon as they learn that Nikichi is absent. Most of their regular customers are disappointed too, but somehow Yuuna manages to convince them by recommending menu based on their preferences — just like what Nikichi usually does. Ryuu also does his best to serve the customers today, and they manage to cover Nikichi’s absence until the closing hour. After work, Yuuna writes a mail to Nikichi about all the things that happened today. She also wrote “please return soon”, but she decides to erase that sentence. As she looks at the PC he usually works on, Yuuna realized she wants to support Nikichi because she loves him. Yuuna doesn’t mind even if her feelings can’t reach Nikichi, because right now she only wants him to return. She’s crying alone when Ryuu comes into the office, and realizing how she feels towards Nikichi, Ryuu tells her Nikichi surely treasures her just as much. Nikichi never relies on anyone, but somehow a part of him is always depending on Yuuna. Upon hearing this, Yuuna re-types the sentence she erased earlier and sends the mail to Nikichi.. but he doesn’t reply.

Three days later, Yuuna visits Estremo with Ryuu and Kaname. They’re coming to see Nikichi, but Basiglio tells them that Nikichi isn’t here. It’s true that Kiyo brought Nikichi to Estremo as one of the new service staff candidates, but Nikichi already turned down the offer two days ago. They’re worried because Nikichi is sick and has no place to sleep in, so they split up to search for him all over the town. They can’t find him anywhere even after ten hours of searching, so eventually Ryuu mails Yuuna asking her to return to Arcobaleno first. Yuuna gathers all of the remaining hope in her to call Nikichi’s number.. and she’s about to give up when he finally picks up his phone. Nikichi apologizes for troubling them, but Yuuna only replies that she feels really lonely without him. When Yuuna says she wants to talk to him, Nikichi says he’s really stupid for forgetting the most important thing. The call got dropped before she can say anything, but she can hear the sound of wind and waves in the background.. so she rushes to the seaside park, and that’s where she finally finds him.

When Yuuna calls his name, Nikichi is really surprised to see her standing behind him. Yuuna asks where did he go for the last two days, and Nikichi explains that he went to Estremo after leaving them. He collapsed from a high fever in front of Basiglio, and Basiglio allows him to stay in his room if it’s hard for him to return to Arcobaleno. The reason why he couldn’t be reached is because he was sick, not because he’s ignoring her on purpose. Kaname also sent a mail saying Yuuna served the customers in his place, and Nikichi admits it makes him really happy. Yuuna then holds out her hand and asks Nikichi to go back, and Nikichi smiles as he takes her hand.. but before she can move, suddenly he pulls her into his arms. ||萌||ョ´∀`。)萌えぇ～↑

As he hugs Yuuna, Nikichi says he’s been working without thinking of anything else.. and he forgot about what he wants to do or who he wants to stay with. After being apart for the last few days, he finally understand what he treasures the most, as well as the place where he can truly be himself.. and the moment he realized everything, he suddenly wanted to hear her voice. Nikichi also admits that he was scared everyone will forget him and move on. He was both relieved and happy when Yuuna asked him to return, but he was afraid that her feelings would disappear when they were apart. Nikichi then asks if she’s willing to listen to how he truly feels, and when Yuuna nods, he finally confesses: “Because you’re there, I came to love Arcobaleno even more. Something like this wouldn’t happen if I made it clear back then, but I was really happy when you said you want to stay with me. I want you to stay by my side and support me. Your smile always helps me through the hard times, and I want to be by your side when you’re feeling sad. I love you, Kayano-san.. more than anyone else..”

萌え─♪｡ﾟ+.o((*´∀`*))o｡ﾟ+.♪─ ぇぇっ

Yuuna answers that she loves Nikichi too, and she asks if she can always stay with him from now on. Nikichi smiles as the answer, and they go back to Arcobaleno after that. The moment Nikichi enters Arcobaleno’s office, Haruto apologizes for relying on him too much. He promises to think about the restaurant too from now on, so Nikichi doesn’t have to carry everything on his shoulders. Ryuu is at a loss for words, but when Nikichi smiles saying “I’m back”, he cries happy tears and replies with “welcome back.” (人´∀`)☆゜’・:* Everyone panics when Nikichi suddenly collapses onto the floor, but they’re relieved to see him fast asleep with a peaceful expression on his face. They carefully take him to his room on the second floor, and Yuuna says goodnight to the sleeping Nikichi.

At the end of October, everyone goes on a hot spring trip together. Fuuta goes to see if there are any monkeys in the open-air bath, while Haruto challenges Kaname and Ryuu to fight over dinner through a ping pong match. ﾌﾟｯ(※థэథ)∵.*.∵ Nikichi says it was hard to control Ryuu and his excitement last night, but he’s enjoying the trip and thanks Yuuna for taking him back to everyone. They have been splitting the work in Arcobaleno ever since, so now Nikichi doesn’t have to work as hard anymore. (*´∀`*) Right after their friends leave to see the open-air bath, Nikichi suddenly pulls Yuuna closer and kisses her. (*ﾉ∀ﾉ)ｷｬｰ♡ Yuuna protests since their friends might see them, but Nikichi kisses her again saying it’s okay — they’re all busy with the bath right now. Besides, it’s her fault for looking so cute in her yukata.. and he just can’t hold back in a lot of ways. 壁|*ﾉωﾉ) )))))))･･･ｲﾔｰﾝ♪ As Yuuna blushes in his arms, Nikichi gently whispers that he loves her more each day. He says he’s really glad to be able to return to her side, and after thanking her, he kisses her for the third time. ||萌||ョ´∀`。)萌えぇ～↑

In April, Yuuna officially starts working in Arcobaleno with Kaname and Fuuta after graduating from Murota Gakuen. Nikichi thinks Yuuna is a natural when it comes to customer service, and he asks if she wants to work as a waitress instead — though Haruto asks him not to take her away from the kitchen. xD After work, Nikichi walks Yuuna back to her new apartment. Along the way, Nikichi blushes saying he’s got something for her.. then he takes out a silver ring and puts it on Yuuna’s right ring finger. (๑´ლ`๑)♡ He’s been thinking of giving her a present when she becomes an official staff in Arcobaleno, so he’s been saving money in the last six months just to buy the ring for her. He kisses her finger saying he actually wants to buy a ring for her left hand, but that will have to wait for a little longer. When Yuuna happily thanks him, Nikichi asks her to keep her left ring finger open for him because he won’t hand her to anyone else.
♪ﾟ+.ｏ(*萌´д`从´д`萌*)ｏ.+ﾟ♪ Nikichi then asks if he can call her name when they’re alone, and when Yuuna says yes, he says “I love you, Yuuna.” 萌え─♪｡ﾟ+.o((*´∀`*))o｡ﾟ+.♪─ ぇぇっ She answers with “I love you too, Nikichi-san.”

… ﾟ+o｡ﾄﾞｷｭ―(*´∀`*)―ﾝ｡o+ﾟ My goodness, Nikichi’s route is really sweet. His fourth and fifth episode have more conflicts compared to everyone else’s, but that only makes his ending and epilogue so much sweeter. ε-(*´∀`|萌| I still love Haruto just a little bit more than Nikichi, but to be honest if I can give happiness to only one character.. I’d choose Nikichi. He deserves to be happy after all the sorrow he had to go through, and I really love how he gradually opens his heart to Yuuna. Even though he’s stingy and looks like a high school kid, Nikichi is so teasingly sexy when he’s alone with Yuuna. Especially in the hot spring scene. (*ﾉ∀ﾉ)ｲﾔﾝ