Love Hina #14

Keitaro and Naru wake up under the Molmol sun. It turns out that they lacked "protection", so they ended up not doing "it". They look at Granny Hina's fax to see what day she was supposed to back. Unfortunately, it says the 10th(which is today's date). They rush to wake everybody up, and Mutsumi reveals that she took the liberty of buying everyone's plane tickets. If they take the 9:00 flight, they should be back in time Grandma's scheduled 3:00 arrival time. Mutsumi goes to give Haruka and Seta their plane tickets, but they've decided to stay on Molmol with Sarah so they can finish the excavation. They say their goodbyes, and board their plane.

On the flight back to Japan, a series of captions re-explain the three conditions of Granny Hina's fax. 1)She will be returning soon to judge Keitaro's progress. 2)Keitaro must be engaged by the time of her return. 3)In order to fully claim his inheritance a wedding must be held. If all three conditions are met, Keitaro will get Hinata House and the surrounding property.

The residents arrive back at Hinata House, and rush in to greet Keitaro's grandmother. To their surprise the place is empty. While searching the building, Kitsune discovers that today's newspaper says the "11th". Mutsumi explains that Molmol must be past the International Date Line: they lost a day by traveling back. Keitaro gets depressed. To cheer him up, he and Naru decide to go walking to Tokyo University.

They finally cross the entrance threshold together, hand in hand. A gust of wind blows to mark the momentous occasion. Naru tells Keitaro that she loves him, and they embrace. At that moment, Mutsumi appears and interrupts them. She hands Keitaro a cellphone and tells him that Granny Hina is holding for him. His grandmother reveals that she went hiking in the Himalayas and lost track of time, so she hasn't been back to Hinata House yet. She then asks Keitaro if he remembers his promise girl. Naru begins panicking. Granny Hina tells Keitaro that his promise girl is b-... Before she can say anymore, Naru reaches over and cuts the phone off. Keitaro asks her why she did that. Naru tearfully tells him that SHE is his promise girl. What if Grandma had said someone else's name? She runs away crying.

Keitaro catches up with her. He tells her that he won't bring up the past anymore. She is the only person that he cares about and the only one he wants to be with. Relieved, Naru somewhat embarrassingly asks him if he wants to go to a nearby hotel.

Keitaro and Naru enter their hotel room, and find that the door was already open. They just figure that it was an automatic door and think nothing of it. Naru takes a shower, and when she gets out she asks Keitaro if they can keep the lights off. Keitaro agrees and asks Naru if he can hold her. Naru is wondering if Keitaro put on some weight, because he feels heavier. Finally, she gets so squished that she has trouble breathing. She gets out from under him and turns the light on. She is shocked to find Keitaro humping a giant turtle.(I repeat: KEITARO IS HUMPING A GIANT TURTLE). Nyamo(the young island girl from Parakelse) wakes up, and reveals that she had been sleeping in the room. The giant turtle is her pet, Gidget.

Keitaro and Naru are both happy to see Nyamo again, and decide to take her back to Hinata House so she can see where they live. Even though Naru laughs about their bad luck, she begins to wonder if she's really the promise girl.

The residents of Hinata House are happy to see Nyamo and Gidget again, and they decide to throw a party. Shinobu shows Nyamo around the building and discovers that Nyamo has a letter for Keitaro, but she seems too shy to give it to him. Shinobu tells Nyamo that she'll help her give Keitaro the letter. Meanwhile, Naru has gone into her room to change for the party. She looks through the hole in floor, and sees Nyamo and Shinobu in Keitaro's room. Naru sees the letter, and thinking that it's a love letter, she gets flustered and accidentally falls through the hole and lands on Keitaro. Nyamo and Shinobu leave, and decide to try again later.

Naru goes down to the cafe to talk her problems over with Kitsune. Unfortunately, Kitsune's advice is to get Keitaro totally drunk and take him.

That night, the gang has their party in Hinata House's hot springs. Kitsune expresses regret that Sarah is missing the party, and Su unveils her new invention: Mecha-Sarah. Nyamo makes another attempt to give Keitaro the letter, but Su had forgot to turn the hot water off; causing Nyamo to pass out. She lands in Keitaro's arms. Naru, afraid Keitaro might be doing something perverted, rushes over and nearly drowns him.

After nearly killing him, Naru has laid Keitaro on his futon to rest. She apologizes, and tells him that she's scared that he'll leave her if she's not the promise girl. She finally decides to follow Kitsune's advice, and drinks from an open sake bottle. She climbs on top of Keitaro and prepares to take advantage of him, but he whispers something about how he will always love her. Unable to go through with it, she gives hi ma kiss and leaves.

Coming out of Keitaro's room, she bumps into Nyamo. Nyamo drops the letter and runs off. Naru picks it up, reads it, and discovers that it's NOT a love letter.

The gang has gathered at the airport to see Nyamo off. Naru promises Nyamo that she'll give Keitaro the letter. Naru rereads it as Nyamo's plane takes off. The letter is revealed to be from Lamba Lu who is chairman of the University of Tokyo/University of Parakelse Joint Research Center. Due to Keitaro's help discovering the lost Molmol ruins, he is offering Keitaro a position on their research team. Naru feels a bit guilty about not giving him the letter, but she knows that if he leaves this time they would have no idea when he would be coming back.

Back at Hinata House, Naru discovers that Kitsune's room is empty. She has packed up all her stuff and is moving to Haruka's old place at the cafe. Naru goes walking around the house and sees that Shinobu is busy cleaning, and Motoko has resumed her training. Everybody notices that Naru seems depressed, so they invite her to that evening's lantern festival.

At the lantern festival, Naru tries but still can't bring herself to tell Keitaro about the job offer. She creates a hypothetical situation about friend and asks the gang for advice. The residents see right through her and tell her under no circumstance is she to let Keitaro leave Japan again. They imagine all sorts of over the top scenarios that could Keitaro at Hinata House, which cheers Naru up a bit. Keitaro returns from trying to win a prize for Naru, and they all decide to get print club photos taken with him. Afterwards, Naru tells the residents that she'll meet them back at Hinata House. She and Keitaro go off and enjoy themselves at the festival.

Keitaro and Naru arrive back at Hinata House and are surprised to find the place empty. Searching reveals that each resident left a letter explaining that they had to go home for various reasons. Shinobu's parents were fighting, Motoko has to receive the charter for the God's Cry School, Su's mother has signed her up for a reality show to pick her husband, and Mutsumi has to play nursemaid to 300 baby turtles. Kanako is still at home, but she quickly leaves to go check on Granny Hina in Brazil. Left alone with Keitaro, Naru finally breaks down and gives him the letter. Keitaro gets excited, but then looks at Naru and realizes that he would be gone too. Naru cries and says that it's all her fault. Keitaro asks her why she's blaming herself. Naru tells him that she must not be his promise girl and that why they keep having such rotten luck. Keitaro tells her that he KNOWS she is the girl he made a promise to, but Naru simply reminds him of all the bad things that have happened since they met. Keitaro wants to give things another shot, and Naru promises to give it just one more chance.

Unfortunately, things go from bad to worse on their date. Keitaro can't find his credit card, the amusement park they were going to has closed, and the four star restaurant has become a cheap beef-bowl diner. Finally, they go to a hotel and instead of consummating their relationship, they fall of the bed and have to go the hospital. At the end of the horrible day, Naru puts on her best happy face and tells Keitaro to follow his dreams. She runs away crying.

The nest day, Keitaro goes up to Naru's room to see if she's calmed down. He finds it completely empty except for a note on the floor. In the note, Naru writes that she had fun knowing him and wants him to have fun overseas, but she has decided to go back home. Keitaro rushes down to the cafe to speak with Kitsune. He asks for directions to Naru's house. She tells him what trains to take, and even gives him money for the fare. As he goes dashing off, Kitsune asks a mysterious person if she did good enough. The mystery person tells her that she was perfect.

Keitaro catches Naru as she gets on the train. Keitaro angrily tells Naru that he's going to stay and see her off.

They've arrived at Naru's stop but as she moves to get off, Keitaro interrupts her and causes her to miss it. She tells him that she'll just get off at the next stop, but he blocks the doorway. Forced to stay on the train until it loops around, they decide to share some bread. They talk about their families and other matters, and when the train loops back around to Mejiro they decide to stay and do another lap and eventually another. Keitaro soon dozes off; Naru, wishing they could stay like this forever, soon joins him. As she sleeps, she dreams...

Naru is alone on the train. Through the windows, she sees time going backwards. From their last Halloween party... to the day of her and Keitaro's exam... to Keitaro's arrival... to Motoko's and Su's and eventually Shinobu's arrival... to her own first day at Hinata House. Finally, Naru's train stops. She gets out and sees the younger versions of Keitaro, Mutsumi and herself playing in the sandbox. They walk up to her and ask her how everything went. Did they live happily ever after? Sadly, Naru tells them that the fairy tale just didn't work out. Young Kei-kun motions over to the train where both Naru and Keitaro are asleep. "You guys seem pretty happy to us."

Naru jumps awake. The lights in the train are out and they're at the railyard. She wakes Keitaro up and bemoans their status as the unhappiest couple in the world. Keitaro asks her if they're really that unhappy. To him it seems like they've had plenty of fun. Recognition flashes across Naru's face as she recalls her dream. Before she can speak, a loud voice calls out. Naru panics and is afraid that it's a ghost, but Keitaro recognizes his grandmother. The voice starts talking about Keitaro's promise girl, but the couple doesn't want to hear it. They manage to escape out the windows and run through the deserted railyard all the way back to Hinata House.

The voice has followed them home. They can barely makeout the silhouette of Keitaro's grandmother up on the roof. She loudly proclaims that it's time Keitaro learned the truth about his promise girl. Naru screams that she doesn't want to hear it, and the voice asks if they're really unhappy as they seem. With a fierce determination in his voice, Keitaro shouts out that "NO!" they're not unhappy! He declares that as long as one of them is happy, they they are NOT doomed! He then loudly proclaims his love for Naru and that he wants to spend the rest of his life with her; promise girl be damned. He takes Naru's hand, and asks her if she'll stay with him. Naru stammers, but then proclaims her love for him. With tears in her eyes she tells him that she doesn't care if she's not his promise girl; she wants to be with him. They join hands and look up to the roof where Keitaro's grandmother is standing, but are blinded by the rising sun. Suddenly, a giant piece of luggage comes falling out of the sky. Motoko's returned and she thought they were thieves. Soon all the other residents return; their various errands completed. Keitaro and Naru gladly welcome everyone back, but then remember Granny Hina on the roof. They tell everyone, but it's revealed that the figure they saw was actually a guardian statue that Kitsune had put up last week.

Meanwhile, on another part of the roof, Kanako is telling Granny Hina that their mission is accomplished as Keitaro and Naru come running up. She tells the young couple that she's proud she had a role in shaping their lives. As she and Kanako climb into their helicopter, Granny Hina tells Keitaro that his promise girl has been standing next to him this whole time. With cries of "take care of the dorm", and "see ya oniichan" they fly away.

Sometime later, Naru is sitting on a parkbench near Tokyo University. Keitaro runs up holding something and tells Naru that he found it under the sandbox like Granny Hina's memo said. What he's holding turns out to be a Liddo-kun shaped time capsule. While they rummage through the time capsule they talk, and Keitaro reveals that he's turned down the research position. In the capsule they find a sheet of paper that says "Let's all go to Tokyo U together" and is signed by the two of them and Mutsumi. Naru writes something on the note, but doesn't let Keitaro see. She folds it into a paper airplane and lets it fly away. As it flies through the air, we see that she wrote, "I love you Keitaro/Forever and a Day". The final shot is of the two of them kissing in front of the university, and then a final panel of Liddo-kun with a reiteration of the Tokyo U promise.

THE END(or is it?)

Several years after that fateful day at Hinata House, a somewhat nervous young woman approaches the dorm. Her name is Ema Maeda. She is fifteen years old and has a fondness for conspiracy theories and urban legends. Her research indicates that there is a girls dorm with an almost magical power to guarantee that any resident will be accepted into Tokyo University. She believes that Hinata House is that dorm.

She enters the lobby, but nobody appears to be home. She curses her luck, but noticing the open air bath; she decides to relax. She becomes frightened when somebody else enters the bath and she tries to hide under a sculpture, managing to hide only her head. The stranger turns out to be a lady who starts asking her questions and calling her Su. Ema finally comes out from under the sculpture, and the stranger panics and starts to scream. Ema runs out of the bath and past a few of the other residents. Finally, one of the women trips her, as Kitsune and Mutsumi walk in and tell the gang to prepares for their newest tenant.

Ema apologizes profusely and introduces herself by telling everyone that she wants to go to Tokyo University one day. The lady who walked in on Ema in the bath reveals herself to be Shinobu, all grown up and a Tokyo U student herself. She goes around the room introducing Ema to everyone and informing us of what they've been up to. Motoko is a third year law student and shihian of the God's Cry School who spends her spare time writing trashy romance novels. Su is also a third year student, and Mutsumi is now a graduate student. Kitsune is acting dorm-mother and proprietor of the Hinata Cafe. Ema feels foolish for believing in the urban legends, because these residents probably had no problem getting into Todai.

Everyone is busy hanging up decorations and getting ready for some sort of party. Kitsune tells Ema that they're getting ready for a wedding the next day, but the couple of honor is out right now. She points Ema to the dress, and Ema asks about the bride. Kitsune describes Naru, who Ema imagines some sort of beautiful overachiever. She asks if the groom is like a doctor, or something. The residents laugh at her, and then describe Keitaro as a loser and a pervert. Ema asks why Naru would marry someone like that, and Shinobu points out that Keitaro never gave up on his dream.

That night as the gang continues to get ready for the wedding, Ema feels out of place among this group of beautiful and hyperactive university students. She enters the room and ponders leaving to go back home. On a lark, she tries on the wedding veil which causes a loud alarm to go off. Frightened, she runs out of the house and is almost run over by a van. The van crashes to a stop. Keitaro exits and apologizes for almost hitting her.

Ema can hear the residents searching for the veil, and she tells Keitaro that she didn't mean to take it. Keitaro has an idea, and in his enthusiasm he accidentally pushes her into the van; knocking her unconscious.

She awakes on the beach and is afraid that Keitaro is planning on killing her and then burying the body. Keitaro reveals that he was just doing some excavating. Keitaro tells her that she seemed like she needed help and asks her if she wants to talk about it. She proceeds to tell him about her poor grades and not fitting in, and how she didn't mean to take the veil. By the time she's finished, she realizes that Keitaro had stopped listening to her and started digging again. As the sun comes up, he tells her that it's time to return the veil.

At Hinata House, all the guests are arriving. Keitaro's old friends Haitani and Shirai are the announcers. Haruka and Seta show up with Sarah in tow(Seta's nervous because he's going to officiate the wedding). Even Tsuruko, Nyamo, and some of Mutsumi's family appear. The residents are wondering where Keitaro is, and also disappointed about losing the veil. Naru tells them not to worry.

Ema and Keitaro are hiding incognito when Motoko spots them. Not knowing who they are, she attacks and is soon joined by Su and Sarah. Ema runs out of hiding and accidentally runs straight into Naru. Naru thanks her for finding her veil and bringing her groom back. This is when Ema realizes that the man who had been helping her was the groom, Keitaro.

The wedding goes forth, and Ema decides that one day she wants to be like Naru. Naru tosses the bouquet, and Ema manages to catch it. As the newlyweds prepare to get in the van for their honeymoon trip, Keitaro moves to let Naru in first. In classic Keitaro fashion he accidentally steps on her train, causing her dress to fall off. Naru screams that he's a pervert, and the final shot is of the various animals(Tama-chan, Kuro, Shippu) relaxing on the roof while Naru chases Keitaro down below.

Chapter Titles

• Hinata 115: And Then They Woke Up?!
• Hinata 116: Secret Letter From Nyamo
• Hinata 117: The Promise Girl (Part One)
• Hinata 118: The Promise Girl (Part Two)
• Epilogue I: Cherry Blossom Season
• Epilogue II: A New Beginning