Title:『不思議の国のキス』(Kiss of Wonderland)
Summary:
The MC is making up one of the
hotel suites with Chisato. As she is changing the sheets, she notices a Union
Jack on the guest’s luggage. This reminds her of Rion, who is currently in the
UK. She thinks about the distance and time difference between them at the
moment. Kenzaki comes in and tells her to go to the penthouse. She rushes up
there to be teased again by the peanut gallery VIPs. Mr. Ichinomiya
tells her that they will be hosting an auction soon. She hopes at first that
Rion will be coming home. He then hints that she will have to be the moderator
in his place. She has a bad feeling about it.
In the next scene, she is
getting ready to go on stage at the auction and is visibly worried. After some
more teasing by the VIPs, Mr. Ichinomiya warns her that he will auction her off
again should she fail at being the moderator. As she goes on stage, the patrons
are curious as to where the Mad Hatter is. She fumbles over her words. Inui and
Samejima bring out the first item. Inui tries to help her by telling her about
the painting on the scroll; however, he tells her that the name of the artist
is “Yukibune”. The audience is confused and wonders if this is some newly
discovered artist (the painting is clearly quite old). Samejima yells at Inui
when he recognizes the mistake. The kanji of the artist’s name should really be
read as “Sesshu”. She tries to play the mistake off, and the audience laughs.
She worries about Mr. Ichinomiya’s warning as she continues.
When it comes time for the final
item to be presented, Inui and Samejima cannot be found. She looks around
anxiously for them. Suddenly, she finds herself trapped in the giant birdcage
again. She can hear Mr. Ichinomiya’s voice over the speaker, telling her that
she is being punished for doing a poor job. Kisaki comes on stage wearing a
mask and starts the bidding at 100 yen (about $1 US). The bidders start going
crazy, and suddenly the lights all go out. She then hears a very familiar
voice, “Aw. While I was back in my hometown, it seems that the tea party
has been hijacked by trump soldiers.” The spotlight suddenly falls on the
face of the Mad Hatter. Looking him up and down, she knows it is Rion by his
familiar costume. Then, another voice is heard from behind. The voice is of
another Mad Hatter, only with red hair and dressed in primarily black and
purple instead of Rion’s blue costume. The audience is in a tizzy over the 2nd
Mad Hatter’s appearance. Rion says cryptically, “I am him. He is me.” He walks
over to the birdcage and tells the MC that he’s home. She asks him
who the other Mad Hatter is. He says that it is Al. Al comments that he tried
it (the costume), and “…it was unexpectedly interesting.” Rion guides her out
of the cage and tells her that she can have peace of mind now because he came to
help her. The audience is delighted that he has returned. He goes on to tell
them that the featured item is unfortunately, not Alice, because Alice is his,
and he wouldn’t sell her for any amount of money. Al then removes a cloth from
his pocket and reveals a gold medal on a velvet cushion. The crest of the
Hatter house is engraved on it. Rion then tells the audience that the featured
item is the knighthood from a British family.
After the close of the auction,
the MC is waiting outside at an amusement park in the vicinity of the hotel. She
watches the fun and glittering atmosphere with wonder. Suddenly, she feels warmth
on her back. She is wrapped in a sweet smell. Without turning around, she knows
exactly to whom that scent belongs. Rion asks if he surprised her, to which she
responds that she is always surprised with him. She welcomes him home, and they
embrace. He takes her hand and asks her to dance. As they dance, he asks her to
stay beside him. They confess their love for one another and the episode ends
with Rion giving her a gentle kiss.
My commentary:
I was a little angry reading this chapter… All I could think is, am I going to get nearly to the end and Rion has STILL not made an appearance?! About 90% of the chapter is definitely Rion-less… But he made up for it by saving the MC. So cute!!! I still want to know more about why Al decided to take up the role of the Mad Hatter though. The ending was a little lackluster in my opinion. I wish they had wrapped a few more things up. Oh, well – maybe in another season?
Songs to listen to while reading this chapter:
“Stitches” by Shawn Mendes
“Whispers in the Dark” by Skillet
"Here (In Your Arms)" by Hellogoodbye
"Here (In Your Arms)" by Hellogoodbye
“Stolen” by Dashboard Confessional
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