KBTBB GREE: Mad Hatter Route Summary and Commentary - Episode 8

Title:『瓜二つの青年』(Two Peas in a Pod)
Summary:
                The morning after she had to step into the role of moderator at the Black Auctions, the MC is completely taken aback when she finds that the Mad Hatter is not in the living room, but Rion is there instead. Before this time, she had only seen his true face by accident. He is playing with Cheshire for a while before he notices that the MC is there. She asks him why he is there, but he dodges the question by asking if Cheshire is overweight. The MC agrees, and he tells the cat that she is going to go on a diet. This reminds the MC that she hasn’t made breakfast, and she asks him if he would like milk tea. He says that’s fine, but he’d also like something to eat. He takes both her hands in his and suggests they make sandwiches. The MC agrees but is nervous because of his touch. He begins contemplating what they could have. The MC is still thinking about his hands though. This is the first time she has felt them without gloves. She thinks that his hands are slender but manly and large. And they were certainly warmer without the gloves. He keeps talking like it’s nothing, but the MC is still very nervous, and she doesn’t really hear what he’s saying. He finally notices that she’s blushing badly and says she’s red as an apple. And then he starts being chatty again.
They go to the kitchen and find ingredients. The MC asks why Rion’s sandwich only has cheese and ham on it and tells him that it should have vegetables, too. She begins slicing cucumber and tomato and reminds him that they need the nutrition. He gives her a sour look and tells her that he hates cold vegetables, especially cucumbers. She then comes up with an idea – why not make a warm sandwich instead? He loves the idea and tells her that she’s a genius, exceeding Thomas Edison. She is amused by his compliment. She gets a chair to retrieve the sandwich maker. She then feels a warmth on her back followed by a tight squeezing around her stomach, and her body is lifted in the air. Rion has lifted her up to help her get the sandwich maker down from the cupboard. She nervously gets it down before he lowers her gently to the floor. He reaches out slowly to touch her flushed cheek. He asks her why she is red and making that face, to which she responds that he surprised her. Being a little mischievous, he says, “Then how about this?” before suddenly starting to dance with her. He hums as he leads her and spins her around. He then asks her if she was surprised, and of course, she is. They are having fun and laughing though as they dance some more. He goes to spin her around several times, and she begins to stumble. He catches her before she can fall.
The scene then moves back the tea room where they are finally eating. Rion is trying to get Cheshire to play so that she can get exercise. He waves around a horsetail plant for her to run after, but she tires quickly. The MC is working on her hands and knees, polishing the floor. She suddenly sees the horsetail in her line of sight. Rion is dangling it in front of her, trying to get her to play like that cat. She protests internally since she’s not a cat. She plays along though, and when the chance comes, she snatches it deftly. He wanted Cheshire to see so that she will try harder. Later, the MC has to go to the staff room, so she lets Rion know. He becomes a little sad, but she tells him that she will come back immediately when she’s done.
Walking down the hallway to the elevator, the MC wonders if she will live the rest of her life here. She thinks the Mad Hatter is definitely a gentleman, but as she remembers Mr. Ichinomiya’s words about how much she was bought for her, and she is surely a prisoner of the tea room. After the meeting in the staff room, the MC is walking through the lobby and spots a man that looks very familiar just outside the hotel. The young man wears a white hoodie looks just like Rion except he has blonde hair and blue eyes. He keeps checking his watch and looking at the hotel. She starts to chase after him, but he is already gone.

My commentary:
I have to admit, I saw my own husband a lot in the first part of this chapter. He’s a cat lover, and he has historically been a picky eater (though he has improved since we’ve been together; I make him eat his veggies!!!) And for the “sandwich maker” – I assume a panini maker is what they mean? The word is サンドメーカー [sandomēkā] in Japanese.) Maybe someone else is used to calling it that, but we always called it a panini maker. Clue me in here if you know something I don’t, haha.
It was really cute when Rion lifts her up to get sandwich maker, but the dance scene actually made me cringe a little. It came so far out of left field, and I would personally feel really awkward if someone just started dancing with me like that. I also cringed a little when he was trying to get the MC to play with a horsetail. She thinks “I’m not a cat,” but I would have said it (because I can’t keep my thoughts to myself. You already know that, or you wouldn’t be reading this, right?).
PLOT TWIST! was my thought when I read the part about the man who looks just like Rion. Who is he?! Stay tuned folks!

Songs to listen to while reading this chapter:
“Hello Seattle (Remix)” by Owl City
“The Technicolor Phase” by Owl City
“Downtown Song” by Anberlin

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