Hanasaku Iroha - Episode 10

So Minko does have a sense of humor...

Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5)

Fevers. Misunderstandings. Dreams. One thing leads to another as Ohana almost decides to leave KIssui Inn because of these.  Despite her condition being a burden to them, the caring staff at the inn show that they value Ohana because, whether it be Nako or the landlady, they all check up on her condition every so often. This episode is a good lesson for those that are part of team-oriented occupations. It teaches that, even though an organization may not have the most skilled of workers, good teamwork allows them to accomplish almost anything. Through this episode, Ohana realizes Kissui Inn is the place for her and that she loves everything about it.

As a part of the kitchen staff, Minko wakes up bright and early each day. Upon waking up she notices that Ohana's bed is empty again, implying that Ohana has been waking up earlier than her for a few days now. Meanwhile, in one of the corridors, Ohana is seen holding a long stick vertically, with a white towel wrapped around the top of it. As of now, the reason why she is holding the stick and running up and down the corridor with it is unknown. After a while of running, Ohana sits down to rest, with her ragged breath indicating that she is obviously sick.  Shortly after, Denroku walks by and hears something fall on the ground behind him. Turning around, he sees Ohana, unconscious on the floor. After a doctor that came and assessed Ohana's condition leaves, Nako, Minko, Enishi and Tomoe gather around Ohana who is now sleeping. Nako explains to the four that Ohana has been waking up early every morning to help clean many areas in the inn by herself. On top of the places that Nako mentioned, Tomoe adds that Ohana has helped clean the reception area as well. Even though she knew that this overworking would have bad results, Tomoe didn't want to discourage Ohana by telling her to work less. Not wanting to disturb her anymore, the four then leave the room. When Minko returns to the kitchen, Tohru immediately starts asking her about Ohana. Despite being extremely annoyed by how much he worries about Ohana, Minko explains to him about her condition. When she finishes talking, Tohru contemplates whether to make something for Ohana, which further annoyed Minko. In the end, after seeing Tohru so caught up in his thoughts about making Ohana something, her annoyance turns into sadness.

With the problem of be short-staffed arising due to Ohana's fever, Enishi, unfortunately, brings in Takako once again in hopes that she can help the inn cope with their current handicap. After noting that the landlady falling ill was a valuable unfortunate experience, Takako is left speechless as the landlady walks in the room, hinting that she heard everything. When she finally regains her composure, Takako defends herself by saying that she was just saying what she felt.  Aside from that, Ohana having a fever can be interpreted as an opportunity to put what the staff learned last week (work by the values of Kissui Inn, no matter what the circumstances are) to the test. Back in Ohana's room, it appears that she sleeps through the rest of the day and, after feeling better, starts working hard again the next morning. Later in the day, when she enters the kitchen to change some orders to fit the needs of the guests and sees Minko being taught how to broil fish by Tohru, putting a smile on her face. After confirming an ingredient change with Tohru, Ohana exits the kitchen. Shortly after Ohana's exit, Tohru scolds Minko, telling her that she shouldn't turn the heat up that high when broiling. The reason for her failure is obviously due to her being uncomfortable with Tohru's friendliness towards Ohana. Unfortunately, Ohana falls ill once again later in the day. Her first visitor turns out to be Jiroumaru-san. During his visit, he reads her another one of his lame stories, reasoning that a well-written story can help re-energize the brain. This time, his story features a younger version of the landlady. Ohana apparently falls asleep midway through the story (that's how boring it is) and wakes up, only to find Jiroumaru-san already gone. Despite still being sick, she can't help but think about work. Her second visitor turns out to be Tohru who comes in carrying a tray of food. After Ohana tries a bit of the rice porridge he made and comments on how good it is, Tohru starts blushing. Next up is the strawberries that Minko prepared. As Ohana starts eating one, Tohru notices that she looks a bit red and decides to check if she still has a fever. When he puts his forehead against hers, he can't help but look down and see her seductive lips. At the sight of Ohana's lips, Tohru jumps back in embarrassment, saying that he can't really tell if she has a fever because he may have one too. He then leaves, probably out of embarrassment.

Later in the day, Nako spots Ohana attempting to leave the room while still sick. Not wanting Ohana to get even more sick, she helps her back into bed. Then, during a conversation, Nako mistakenly tells Ohana that Kissui Inn is doing fine without her. Although Nako didn't mean any harm by saying this, Ohana takes it the wrong way, thinking that she isn't needed at all. Shortly after, Ohana is out of bed again but ends up resting her head on the table due to fatigue. The landlady then comes in and helps her back into bed, telling her that she needs rest. That night, Ohana starts dreaming about Kou telling her to return home because Kissui Inn is fine without her. She then acts upon her dream by starting to compose a text message for Kou, telling him about it. Meanwhile, despite being without Ohana, the staff still seem to be working fine. However, early the next day, Nako suddenly bursts into the kitchen, telling Minko that Ohana has collapsed. However, the biggest reaction came from Tohru, who let out a surprised and worried shout. Minko notices this and grows even more worried; not about Ohana, but her chances with Tohru. Upon entering their room, Minko thinks of taking a marker and drawing on Ohana's face wile she is sleeping but is able to resist the temptation to do so. Instead, she covers Ohana back up with a blanket, waking her up in the process. Then, Ohana asks if Minko is worried about her. Unfortunately, just like Nako, Minko states that Kissui Inn is still doing fine. Being told that she is unnecessary for a second time must have hurt because Ohana starts crying right after hearing that. Feeling guilty about making Ohana cry, Minko tells her that she didn't mean it that way. She then explains that she can't get rid of the bat in the corridor to the baths alone and that is why she needs Ohana's help. For the first time, Minko is actually requesting the help of Ohana which I found surprising. This bat must be the reason why Ohana was running up and down the corridor with the long stick. Curse you, stupid bat! After Minko's chat with Ohana, Nako comes into the room. Upon seeing Ohana's phone, Nako quickly snatches it away, telling Ohana that she shouldn't be playing with her phone when she has a fever. However, as she reads what Ohana had written, she is filled with guilt. This guilt causes her to frantically tell Ohana that she didn't mean it when she said Kissui Inn is fine without her. Soon, Nako gets carried away with her explanation and almost causes Minko to fall off the chair that they are standing on. However, she soon notices that Ohana has fallen asleep and calms down. Outside the room, Tomoe is touched by Nako's heartwarming speech and closes the door, relieved that the misunderstanding has been cleared up. When the landlady approaches her, Tomoe's smile is enough to tell the story. Soon after, Enishi and Jiroumaru-san walk towards Ohana's room but are quickly scared away by the two angry-looking ladies. To end the episode, Ohana dreams about Kou again. This time, she tells him that she loves Kissui Inn and the staff there. This also implies that she loves them more than she loves him. Upon hearing that, Kou slowly fades away. Although she ends up staying at Kissui, Ohana can't help but know that she probably won't see Kou again, which causes tears to flow from her eyes as she sees him disappear from her dreams. However, she may possibly regret her decision as she cries for him to help her in the episode preview. It looks like there will be quite a lot of drama in the next episode. Looking forward to it.