Junjou Island written by Sunahara Touko and illustrated by Natsume Isaku

[insaneneko]

Junjou Island by Sunahara Touko (author of another favorite book of mine, Seventeen Drops) and illustrated by Natsume Isaku is a delightfully ridiculous light-hearted comedy I thoroughly enjoyed reading. It's not quite crack, it's just...retarded. In the best possible way, at least in my opinion. I could not put this book down the first time I read it, zipping through it at breakneck speed so that I could get some sleep. I finished with a big grin on my face and went to bed not regetting (much) how awful the next day was going to be--I figured I'd be planting my face into the keyboard when I'd inevitably nod off... I wasn't even too stressed the next morning when I woke up late and had to rush to get to work on time--I had forgotten to set the alarm clock in a post-reading daze of happiness, apparently.

Sakiyama Kouhei, a 20-year-old college student, has two big problems. First, he can't leave the island he was born and raised on. Every single time he tries to get off, the weather turns really bad really quickly and prevents him. Second, he has a "stalker." Hinase Ryo is the rich, good-looking, completely clueless "prince" of the island who has been in love with Kouhei for the last 11 years. Nothing Kouhei does (including having girlfriends and telling Ryo that he does) clues Ryo into the fact that he doesn't like Ryo, thanks to Ryo's selective hearing/seeing/comprehension and unbelievable optimism (I love to use the phrase "magical thinking" to describe Ryo's mindset). Kouhei ends up doing things like tricking Ryo into running errands to make him go away for a while. As anyone with even a passing aquaintance of BL would know, this story is about how things (finally) change between the two of them.

While I may squee about this book, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it willy-nilly. To me this story falls into the same category as Kodomo no Hitomi or Yome ni konaika, in that it is a patently ridiculous story that you kind of have to "buy into" to enjoy (if you don't, you may end up irritated and frustrated). Personally, it kills me with its silly child-like sweetness. It is overflowing with a kind of earnest, pure fairy-tale quality. Neither of the main characters nor the story irritated me, even when they ran into some fairly cliched (or really retarded) roadblocks to happiness. I found this combination of earnestly hetare seme + earnestly clueless yet devoted uke a winner, all around. I was laughing with/at/for them for most of the book, while still being touched/saddened at the apppropriate times.



Junjou Island

Sakiyama Kouhei wakes up one morning, looks out the window, sees that there isn't anyone waiting for him out on the street, and joyfully rushes to get ready and leave for school before the person does show up...Only to find he can't open his door because someone is moving in next door and their furniture is blocking his door. When he is able to get out, he finds to his horror that it is that very person he had been trying to avoid that was moving in. Hinase Ryo has been in love with Kouhei since the third grade and has followed him around all these years. He even picks Kouhei up in his limousine so that they could go to school every day. Kouhei is terribly upset, but is rather resigned. He does, however, yell at Ryo that he can't do insane things like live in a humble one-room apartment with ten servants or with lots of big furniture.

As the two walk to school (the university founded by Ryo's father on the small island in the Sea of Japan that they live on) Kouhei internally grouses that not only is he still going to school with Ryo, Ryo is now his neighbor. In the meantime, Ryo declares that it must mean that they are star-crossed lovers since they ran into each other first thing in the morning. Kouhei asserts that they didn't "run into each other," and that they are in no way lovers. Ryo keeps on talking as if he hadn't heard Kouhei (though I suppose it's more accurate to say he probably "heard" Kouhei but the words just didn't register in any meaningful way), going on about how he figured he'd be able to see Kouhei lots more if they were neighbors. He wonders if it was just a great idea or a divine message. Kouhei gives up on the pointless conversation and tells Ryo to stop looking at him as he walks instead of looking ahead, as he's told Ryo many times before. Ryo calls Kouhei shy, at which Kouhei exclaims that he's not shy, that it's bothersome to have Ryo staring at him while they walk. Kouhei reflects that while Ryo drives him nuts, what is truly problematic for him is that he can't leave the island---he attributes it to a god or something keeping him on the island with Ryo.

When they reach the harbor, the people there greet Ryo warmly. They basically worship the Hinase family because an ancestor supposedly saved the island a long time ago. A bunch of kids run up to Ryo, calling him "Prince." Ryo answers to that nickname, which Kouhei can't believe. He finds Ryo and the entire island wildly abnormal.

At school, one of their lectures gets cancelled. Kouhei gets a text message from his girlfriend that she's still on the island (most of the students commute to the college from Honshu, about 30 minutes away by boat). In order to get rid of Ryo so that he could meet up with his girfriend, he tells Ryo he wants cream-pan from a certain bakery in town (town being the nearest city to the island on Honshu, I think) but can't get it himself since he can't leave the island. Ryo immediately rushes off to get Kouhei the bread. Kouhei can't believe that Ryo fell for such a ridiculous lie but is happy it worked, and arranges to meet up with his girlfriend, Saeki Miyako. He drags her away from the campus (and the possibility of running into Ryo). Miyako thinks Kouhei can't leave the island because he has some problem with riding on boats, and doesn't believe that he's cursed. Kouhei is interrupted by some kids when he tries to kiss Miyako and curses the fact that he can't get off the island for a real date with some privacy.

Kouhei returns to his apartment after seeing Miyako off. Ryo comes out of his room to give Kouhei the bread, happy that Kouhei will be able to eat the bread while it's still hot. Ryo goes back to his own room, satisfied that he's done what he could for Kouhei. Kouhei feels a twinge of guilt, but quickly suppresses it. He figures it's all Ryo's fault for not having a clue and making him take such measures. He remembers the first time they ever truly interacted. Though they were classmates, they hadn't had much to do with each other (as Ryo didn't join in their play after school) until Ryo had come up to Kouhei one day and asked to be friends. When Kouhei asked why, Ryo smiled angelically and replied that it was because Kouhei's family was the poorest on the island. Ryo had seen a documentary on TV about a big poor family and had become enamoured of the daily life of such families. At that point, Ryo became the most irritating person on the island to Kouhei, and he irritated Kouhei even more with his insensitive cluelessness and clinging over the years.

The next day, Ryo comes up to Kouhei after class as Kouhei desperately tries to copy down notes being erased on the blackboard. Kouhei figures he should thank Ryo for the bread but is interrupted. Ryo is amazed at the apartment--it only has one bath and toilet, in one room!! Ryo goes on to say that he didn't have a table, so he ate on his bed. It was like a picnic! Ryo is very surprised when Kouhei guesses that the reason Ryo didn't have a table was because it didn't fit in the room. Ryo incidentally corrects the spelling of the German Kouhei is taking. Kouhei notes that while he can barely remember the language, Ryo knows German, French, English, AND Spanish. He can't figure out how someone who's received such an excellent education can be so clueless. He had seen all the furniture they had attempted to move into that small one-room apartment. It was pretty damn obvious that a table wasn't going to fit. He then notices that Ryo, who is usually very well-groomed, has his shirt misbuttoned. When he asks about it, Ryo explains that he had buttoned his own shirt that day, and for some reason there was an extra one. Kouhei proclaims Ryo the idiot. He can't believe Ryo can't even button his own shirts without a servant. He fixes Ryo's shirt, and is terribly uncomfortable when Ryo smiles (like a flower!) and thanks him. He gruffly gets through the awkwardness by urging Ryo to get lunch.

At the cafeteria, Ryo proposes eating dinner together on his bed, with a red and white striped picnic tarp laid out on top. Kouhei declines, but Ryo thinks that Kouhei simply doesn't like the idea of the picnic tarp being striped (selective comprehension strikes again!). They are interrupted when another student, Machida, asks to borrow lunch money from Ryo. He claims to have forgotten his wallet. As Ryo gladly takes some money out, several more guys gather around asking to be treated to lunch with various reasons for not having money (having to pay a cousin's hospital bills, losing a job, etc.). Kouhei is disgusted with the other students for taking advantage of the rich and gullible Ryo, and with Ryo for letting the other students take advantage of him with such thin lies. Ryo doesn't quite see it that way--he has lots of money to share (in fact, his family's creed is to share the wealth), their classmates are happy at being treated, what's the harm? Machida gets Ryo to pay for renting out a restaurant for a compa (a group date, go here for more info). Kouhei is even more disgusted, wondering how Ryo can't see that he is just being taken advantage of and how Ryo can disregard Kouhei's warning, but tells himself that it really has nothing to do with him...

One night, as Kouhei is relaxing with beer and TV, he is overcome by a horrible burning smell. When he runs outside along with all the other apartment dwellers, he sees that the smell is (as could be expected) coming from Ryo's apartment. When he goes to Ryo's apartment, he is greeted very happily by Ryo. You came just in time! It turns out that Ryo had been "cooking" something all day, in the hopes of getting Kouhei to eat something homemade (since Kouhei had rejected the picnic idea earlier). Of course Kouhei isn't about to eat something that smells that awful, but Ryo thinks that Kouhei's simply already eaten and is full. Because Ryo looked so sad when Kouhei rejects his food, Kouhei feels a twinge of pity and actually tries the scary, scary thing in the pot...and lives to regret it.

Kouhei, suffering from acute enteritis, spends most of his time in and out of the bathroom for the next several days. He is surprised when his girlfriend shows up at his door on the third day, having somehow heard that he was ill. Kouhei hadn't told her because it was all rather embarrassing, but he is rather happy at the prospect of being nursed by Miyako. It's at that time when Ryo shows up. Kouhei is already very upset at Ryo for causing his illness and not feeling bad about it (or even being aware that it was all his fault), but he is also interrupting Kouhei's time with Miyako. Kouhei introduces Ryo to Miyako, but knows that Ryo thinks that Miyako (along with all of Ryo's previous girlfriends) is just "camouflage." To get rid of Ryo, Kouhei asks him to go buy some medicine, but Ryo had brought the medicine box from his house just in case. So then Kouhei tells Ryo that he can't drink tap water and to buy him a certain brand of bottled water. Ryo rushes off to buy him the water he needs. Alone, Miyako suggests they go on an onsen trip on the next weekend, but Kouhei can't go as he can't leave the island. Miyako is very unhappy because at this rate they will never be able to go on a date in town (or anywhere other than the island). They sit, silent, until Miyako has to leave to catch the ferry. Kouhei ends up falling asleep. He wakes up at night with Ryo at his side, asleep with a bottle of the brand of water he asked for. He catches himself almost touching Ryo's reddened nose (from being squished while sleeping), and mutters to the unconscious Ryo, "You really are an idiot, aren't you?"

The next Saturday, Kouhei goes over to Ryo's room to invite him to go fishing, feeling guilty about deceiving Ryo the other day. Ryo, for some reason, won't open the door all the way. He claims that if he opened it any more, everything will fall over. Kouhei, thinking it's all the furniture Ryo had brought into the room, pulls the door open...And lots of garbage falls out. Turns out that Ryo thought the garbage can was some machine that disposed of garbage automatically and hadn't realize the servants in his home had been taking the garbage out manually all that time. The room is a sea of garbage, with the canopied bed like a boat floating in it. Ryo is ready to go fishing (though he doesn't like to fish he is more than happy to spend any time with Kouhei), but Kouhei knows things can't stay the way it is. They spend the day cleaning up. As they drink something cool in the evening, Kouhei finds out that Ryo had not been having any servants come over because Kouhei had told him that first day that he shouldn't have any servants. He explains that Ryo can have one or two servants, just not ten. Kouhei asks what Ryo's parents think about Ryo living on his own. Ryo admits he hasn't heard anything from them for several months, so he figures they don't know. They never come to the island, leaving Ryo in the care of their legions of servants. Kouhei asks why Ryo doesn't go to live with his parents on Honshu, but Ryo tells him he prefers the island because that's where Kouhei is (actually, Kouhei finishes the line for Ryo, he's heard it so many times before). Ryo once again trips because he's too busy looking at Kouhei and not looking at where he is going, and Kouhei catches him as always. They sit down at the top of the stairs and watch the sun set. Kouhei bitches about not being able to get off the island, mentioning that he'll never be able to go on a decent date. Ryo ignores Kouhei's attempt to say that he wasn't talking about a date with Ryo but with his girlfriend and talks about how much he loves the island...but that he doesn't really care where he is as long as he's with Kouhei. Kouhei feels his heart skip a beat despite himself, and helplessly asks why Ryo loves him so much. Ryo leisurely replies with a smile that he doesn't know, just that Kouhei is special.

After that, Kouhei finds himself being more conscious of Ryo. Kouhei wonders what's going on inside of that head of his--why he's so optimistic and thoughtless, so idiotic, so in love with him....

The night before the thee-day weekend, Miyako calls to cancel their plans due to something unavoidable that's come up. Kouhei acts understanding because he feels he can't criticize her when she has to come to the island for them to go on a date. On Saturday Kouhei decides to go fishing. He knocks on Ryo's door to invite him along, but Ryo is not in. So Kouhei goes fishing on his own and ends up catching a lot of fish. He stops off at his parent's house/store to drop off his catch. He happens to see Shiono, a friend from college that dorms, stopping by his parent's store to buy something. Shiono is surprised to see him there, because he had seen Miyako at the train station in the city with a guy. He had figured she was with Kouhei, but seeing Kouhei there he concludes that he must have been mistaken. Kouhei rushes back to his apartment where he had left his cell phone and tries calling Miyako. No matter how many times he calls he can't get a hold of her. He can't stay still, thoughts swirling inside of him. He goes to the harbor, thinking about getting to the mainland. But just approaching the boats causes the sea to become rougher. Cursing his curse, Kouhei ends up drowning everything in drink.

Totally smashed, Kouhei ends up lying in his apartment hallway, unable find his key and get into his room. Ryo, coming back to his room, finds Kouhei and Kouhei's key lying nearby. Ryo opens the door and helps Kouhei into his apartment. Kouhei croaks out a request for water, upon which Ryo leaves the apartment. He immediately returns with a bottle of water. Kouhei gulps down the water, then realizes it's the same brand he had asked for before. Ryo is happy that he had stocked up on the bottled water after learning that Kouhei could only drink that brand. Kouhei really can't reply...Ryo didn't even realize that he'd been deceived and rejected, and was just happy to have been of service to Kouhei. Kouhei finds him incredibly idiotic, but also...adorable. The feeling overwhelms him, speeding up his heartbeat and breaking through something inside of him. He finds himself aware of Ryo's faintly sweet body odor. Despite the alarm bells ringing inside, he lets himself take in the scent, and kisses Ryo as if drawn to him unconsciously. He immediately pulls away and at first thinks he's angered Ryo because Ryo is expressionless. But Ryo quickly dispels that fear when he bursts into tears of happiness. Ryo had never thought Kouhei would kiss him. Kouhei finds his self-control gone at Ryo's trembling joy, his sincere expression of love, and he kisses Ryo again. This time the kisses are deeper, he chases Ryo's tongue with his fingers, wanting to delve deeper into this crazy idiot. He grows ever more aroused, kissing and rubbing his arousal against Ryo's arousal, while Ryo remains confused (and only becomes more confused as his body becomes aroused). But when Kouhei starts to unbutton Ryo's shirt, he is jolted back into reality seeing the buttons mismatched. He remembers who it is he is making out with, jumps up, stares at Ryo for a while, then runs off.

The next day, Ryo is even more preoccupied with Kouhei (normally, 80% of his mind is taken up by Kouhei...so even more so that day?). He can't believe that Kouhei had actually kissed him and is just walking on cloud nine. He didn't know what to do after Kouhei ran off, but he just went back to his own room so that the shy Kouhei could come back. Ryo is again treating Machida to lunch, not really paying attention to him (though abstractly wondering why Machida hadn't learned from his mistakes like most people do ^^;). It barely registers when Machida tells him that the compa he had paid for had been canceled, but he does comment that it was probably for the best anyway since Kouhei might not be happy if he participated in a gathering meant to introduce guys and girls to each other. Machida has no clue what Ryo is talking about, but he does have gossip about Kouhei. He brings up the fact that Kouhei had broken up with his girlfriend. Ryo had always thought that this girlfriend, along with all the others, was just "camouflage." But this time something bothers him. He starts wondering just why Kouhei had been drunk that night...why Kouhei had kissed him. His usual blinders aren't quite working, so he starts looking for Kouhei to be reassured. But when he finds Kouhei, he is only brought down further. He sees Kouhei happily drinking out of a sink faucet.

Ryo, wanting to be alone, ditches the rest of his classes and goes up to the shrine. It's all come crashing down on him. That Kouhei's girlfriends were all real girlfriends. That Kouhei had deceived him to make him go away. That he had been deluding himself all these years. That he'd just been a big nuisance to Kouhei. That Kouhei didn't even like him. He starts to cry. A bunch of kids show up and ask him why he's crying. Ryo answers that it wasn't a big deal...just that he had realized that the person he loved didn't love him back.

In the meantime, Kouhei is with Shiono, who tells him that he's being too stubborn to let such a cute girl go because of one dalliance. But Kouhei isn't that troubled by having broken up with his girlfriend. He knows he couldn't do all the things she had wanted to because he couldn't leave the island. Instead, he tries to figure out why he had kissed Ryo. He blames it on the alcohol, on the stress of being stalked and harassed, on some kind of temporary insanity. He seizes on the impulse to tell Ryo that it was just drunken horseplaying (because obviously it had to be--why else would he do such a thing to Ryo--idiotic, happy-go-lucky, and most importantly, a GUY?) and rushes off to find Ryo...But does not find him that day.

The next morning, Kouhei's overslept and rushes to get ready. But he finds his door blocked by...furniture? Ryo's family butler is overseeing Ryo's move back home. Kouhei doesn't catch up with Ryo until lunch. Ryo isn't smiling at all, just seems stiff. Kouhei asks about the move. Ryo tells him he realized he wasn't suited towards living on his own. When Kouhei asks what prompted him to move out so suddenly, Ryo only replies that he realized he wasn't suited towards living on his own. Ryo tries to excuse himself, but Kouhei is flustered. What had happened to Ryo? He does manage to tell Ryo that the kiss had been a mistake, he had been drunk, etc. Ryo interrupts Kouhei as he tries to apologize, saying he knows that. He then excuses himself and leaves. Kouhei can't make heads or tails of this completely unexpected behavior from Ryo.

Ryo goes home to his family mansion, where he is greeted by the servants. He sits on the bed in his room (he had picked up the habit from having no space to sit other than on the bed in the apartment) with his dog, pondering the huge but empty mansion he had always lived in. He remembers being so enamored of having siblings when he had seen it on TV--sharing ice cream, sleeping in a row in a small room, fighting and being scolded by their parents. He had decided to put some distance between himself and Kouhei as he doesn't want to cause Kouhei any more bother. He was able to distance himself from Kouhei the whole day, so he figures he'll be able to do it the next day, then the day after that, and the day after that. He wonders if it'll someday become normal.

Two weeks pass after Ryo had started distancing himself from Kouhei. Ryo is treating some classmate he barely knew to lunch when that classmate mentions the compa that Ryo had paid for, assuming that Ryo would be attending as he'd sponsored it. Ryo remembered Machida saying it had been canceled, but not having received the money back, he figures maybe he just hadn't heard that it had been un-cancelled. He decides attending it might be a good change of pace, as he'd been secluding himself in his house when not at school.

Ryo finds himself surrounded by girls at the compa. Tired out, he escapes for a breather. He fantasizes a wonderful picnic on his bed with Kouhei, on a red and white striped picnic tarp. He then spies a bunch of guys including Machida smoking outside and moves to join them, but overhears Machida bitching about him showing up and hogging all the girls.

Kouhei is fixing a store shelf at his parent's store when he senses someone approach and gaze at him. He almost automatically calls out, "Hinase?" but it turns out to be Shiono stopping by for something at the store. Shiono asks if Ryo and Kouhei are fighting or something, noticing how conscious Kouhei seems to be of Ryo lately. Kouhei dismisses Shiono's observation and disparages Ryo for being distant and affected. Shiono comments that Ryo has always been that way, being good-looking and the son of the school board chairman--it feels as though he's looking down at everyone--too perfect? Kouhei can't believe it. Ryo, perfect? He declares Ryo an idiot, but Shiono counters that Ryo has excellent grades. If he's stupid, what are they? Kouhei can't reconcile the outside view of Ryo with his. How could they be so different? And is the Ryo he sees now the Ryo everyone had always seen? Where had the Ryo he'd known go? Shiono brings up Machida's compa that night, that Ryo had gone even though Machida had tried to deceive him. Shiono figures Ryo had gone to take revenge on Machida, but Kouhei knows Ryo would not be capable of such a thing...he probably doesn't even know that Machida had deceived him.

Kouhei tries to tell himself that it didn't concern him, but he ends up at the harbor just in time to miss the last ferry of the night. He tells himself that this was fate, that it didn't concern him, but he runs into a fisherman he's known from childhood. He asks the fisherman to take him to Honshu on his boat. The weather, predictably, goes crazy, with wind and waves and rain. But even so, Kouhei is determined to go because Ryo is a complete idiot who doesn't even know to doubt anyone or anything--he's been treasured by his servants and the people of the island his entire life. Kouhei can't imagine how hurt Ryo would be if he learned that such a thing as animosity existed in the world....Kouhei wants Ryo to keep laughing like an idiot forever, ignorant and innocent. He yells out at the sea and at the gods to let him go to Ryo. He does manage to get to town, soaking wet and with seaweed on his head. He crashes the party, sees Ryo surrounded by girls and is a bit deflated. But instead of being relieved that Ryo apparently had avoided a confrontation with Machida, he is irritated. He drags a confused and unwilling Ryo out of the restaurant, declaring that he had come to take Ryo back to the island. Ryo struggles out of Kouhei's grip and runs away. Kouhei gives chase until Ryo trips and falls on the beach. Kouhei sits on Ryo and aggressively kisses him. When Ryo just looks at him afterwards, Kouhei demands affirmation that Ryo is happy to be kissed by Kouhei. Kouhei demands that he cry from happiness, like that other night.

Ryo starts to cry, but not from happiness. He can't believe how much Kouhei apparently hates him. He knows that everyone hates him and finds him a bother. He apologizes to Kouhei for being a bother all those years. He promises not to trouble him again, but falls apart, asking why Kouhei would kiss him. Even if Kouhei was kissing him out of hate or to harrase him, Ryo can't help but be happy because he does still love Kouhei. He won't be able to give up Kouhei at this rate.

Kouhei tells Ryo that he doesn't hate Ryo. He'd never have managed to cross the sea for someone he hated. He tells Ryo he came to see him, to take him back home. Ryo asks if it's okay if he's with Kouhei, to which Kouhei replies yes. Ryo finally smiles that idiotic smile of his and again tells Kouhei he loves him (like he always used to). Kouhei holds him closer, pondering whether a kiss out in public was a good idea or not, until they are interrupted by Ryo's servant calling them to get out of the night air before they catch a cold.

On a red and white striped picnic tarp in a field of cosmos flowers, Kouhei and Ryo are having a tasty picnic prepared by Ryo's cook. Ryo had made the musubi that included soybeans still in the shell in them. Kouhei tells Ryo to at least unshell the soybeans before using them. Ryo comments that Kouhei was the only person who ever treated Ryo normally, scolding him and pointing out when he was wrong. Perhaps that was why Kouhei was so special to Ryo. Kouhei is puzzled at Ryo's out of the blue comment, but Ryo replies that it was in response to Kouhei asking why Ryo loved him before. Kouhei knows that the reason he had treated Ryo the way he had was because he hadn't liked Ryo. But now, while Kouhei understands that Ryo is strange, he finds Ryo's straightforward and simple feelings dazzling. He wants to tell Ryo that Ryo is special to him too, but finds that he can't. As he ponders whether he is actually rather hetare, he notices Ryo staring at him, obviously trying hard to figure out what Kouhei is thinking. Kouhei can't help but find it adorable, can't help but draw Ryo close, can't help but kiss Ryo. Ryo wonders if they are living the "happily ever after." But Kouhei is not satisfied with a "happily ever after" without something further between the two of them--not that he'd feel right about trying to go further without having expressed his own feelings to Ryo. He tries to get the words out...But wastes the effort by covering Ryo's ears with his hands so that Ryo doesn't hear them. Ryo bugs him about what he had said, but Kouhei forces an end to the subject by getting Ryo to walk around the field of flowers. Ryo trips and Kouhei catches him (again). Kouhei tells him (again) to actually look where he's going rather than stare at him all the time. Ryo objects that he wouldn't be able to see more of Kouhei if he did. Kouhei just gives up, telling him to look as much as he wants to. Ryo, gazing at Kouhei's flushed profile, comments that Kouhei is, as always, shy, while Kouhei firmly holds Ryo's hand so that Ryo doesn't fall if (when?) he trips.

Junjou Christmas

Kouhei wakes up, checks the street below, sees Ryo waiting for him, and rushes to get ready and meet Ryo. As they walk to the harbor, Kouhei can't help but be captivated by Ryo's face...He had thought he was sick of seeing Ryo's face, but now he is astonished by how lovely he finds Ryo. He's so busy looking while Ryo greets back all who greet him, he trips. He is terribly embarrassed, even more so when Ryo offers to hold his hand in case he trips again (though Ryo admits that as he often trips himself, they'd just end up falling together). They planned on going into town on a date, but the weather begins acting up and they give up. They end up back at Kouhei's apartment, where Kouhei broods over the curse that prevents him from leaving the island. He had thought it kept him on the island to keep him with Ryo, but it seemed to still be in operation. He grouses that Ryo is grinning like an idiot even though their plans have been ruined and they were rained on, but ends up kissing Ryo when Ryo tells him that he's happy wherever he is as long as he's with Kouhei. When Ryo asks why Kouhei kisses him, Kouhei awkwardly replies that it's because they are dating. He tells Ryo that when people go out together on the weekends and "do this kind of thing" (i.e. kiss) it's called dating. Ryo then asks why Kouhei "does this kind of thing" with him, but Kouhei can't say what he really feels and instead tells Ryo that it's because Ryo looks like he wants to be kissed. Ryo turns his face down at that, admitting that he might have that kind of look on his face right then. That really gets to Kouhei, but he's terribly conflicted. Ryo is a total idiot who actually believes that babies are brought by the stork or spring from cabbages. How was Kouhei supposed to get anywhere with someone like that? Kouhei can't express his feelings, can't hope for things to happen naturally...He feels trapped...So he kicks Ryo out of his room.

Ryo, for his part, is completely confused by Kouhei. Kouhei kisses him, but then throws him out. He's nice, then rather cold. Ryo'd previously been able to live with no doubts whatsoever, but since the whole business with Kouhei's girlfriend he can't quite be that way. Ryo begins to think that though they are dating, Kouhei may not actually love him. After all, Kouhei had never told him so. He touches his lips, remembering Kouhei saying he looked like he wanted to be kissed and aching.

Kouhei is reminded by Shiono (on cloud nine after having gotten a girlfriend for the first time) that Christmas is fast approaching. He starts thinking about doing something on the Eve with Ryo, perhaps setting up a situation with a dinner and hotel room in which either Ryo gets a clue or Kouhei gets the courage to admit his feelings, and cursing the fact that he can't get off the island. He finds out that there's another shrine on the island, much older than the one he had previously prayed at. He decides give that shrine a try.

Unfortunately, Ryo finds out and insists on going with Kouhei despite Kouhei's strenuous objections (it's not a leisurely hike!). Turns out Ryo has a map and the mountain the shrine is on belongs to his family. So the two set out, get a little lost, and get soaked in a sudden rain. They take shelter in the shrine when they finally find it. In order to warm their chilled bodies, Ryo suggests they take off their wet clothing and huddle under the picnic tarp. Kouhei is not enthusiastic because such a situation would only test his self-control, so Ryo starts thinking Kouhei doesn't want to huddle with him. Kouhei attempts to confess, but instead of saying "suki" (I love you) he blurts out "surumeika" (a type of squid). Ryo thinks Kouhei is hungry, is sorry they have no food and offers the one piece of candy he does have. Kouhei tells Ryo that he should eat it, and they go back and forth until the candy falls on the ground. Kouhei pops it into his mouth, cleans it off, then offers it to Ryo. They huddle, until Kouhei finally can't control himself and bites Ryo's neck. He asks Ryo if Ryo loves him so much he won't mind being devoured. Kouhei means having sex, but Ryo thinks Kouhei is actually so hungry he wants to eat Ryo. Ryo, though trembling and pretty freaked out, offers a body part for Kouhei to eat. Kouhei is again astounded by the depths of Ryo's idiocy, but at the same time is fired up by Ryo's willingness to offer himself. He passionately begins his attack on Ryo, who still thinks Kouhei wants to eat him. Kouhei finally wrenches himself away and escapes outside before things go too far.

Ryo, left behind, wonders again if Kouhei finds him a bother. He notices that his body is aroused, and thinks that maybe his very arousal had driven Kouhei away. He goes outside to Kouhei, who tells him to go away. He asks Kouhei if Kouhei actually doesn't like him. Kouhei tells him to stop saying stupid, trivial things like that. Ryo wonders if he can't figure out Kouhei's feelings because he's an idiot (after all, Kouhei is always calling him an idiot). He knows that he had been a bother to Kouhei for a long time because he had been clueless. He wonders if Kouhei would love him if he was clever. At that point Ryo trips and hits his head.

The two are rescued soon after Ryo hits his head and is knocked unconscious by searchers organized by Ryo's worried servants. Ryo is taken to the hospital in town (where Kouhei can't follow). Ryo is basically okay, except that he has some memory loss. It turns out that he's forgotten Kouhei. So Ryo treats Kouhei like a stranger, calling Kouhei "Sakiyama-kun" instead of "Kouhei."It also turns out that this Ryo is a bit less idiotic. This Ryo tells the island children not to call him "Prince," acting like a proper adult instead of his idiotically grinning self. A week passes and the memory that's supposed to gradually come back doesn't. Kouhei accidentally ends up on a ferry, but finds the weather completely calm. He should be delighted that he can go to Honshu, but feels the opposite because he knows the reason...

Kouhei snaps and tells Ryo to stop calling him that yucky name "Sakiyama-kun." He drags Ryo to his parent's house, where he finds out that Ryo remembers his family even as he still can't remember Kouhei at all or even why he ever went over to Kouhei's house. Kouhei explains the whole business of Ryo becoming enamored of a big poor family and approaching Kouhei. This Ryo is shocked that he had been so rude and apologizes. Kouhei sees it as Ryo denying himself, which just pisses himself off even more. He demands that Ryo remember, declaring that he'll make Ryo remember. He then drags Ryo around the island, explaining such things as the musubi with the unshelled soybeans (when this Ryo hears about putting unshelled soybeans in musubi, he starts thinking he was some really strange person before--Kouhei wonders if this Ryo would find everything the former Ryo ever did wildly abnormal) in the field of cosmos flowers. Kouhei catches Ryo when he trips. Looking down at Ryo's unchanged face, he is full of regret. He wonders if he told this Ryo his feelings, would this Ryo would tell him that it was strange and crazy to feel that way for another guy. He should have told Ryo his feelings before, for Ryo's sake, for his sake.

Ryo, in the meantime, has to deal with a head is full of holes where apparently memories of Kouhei should be. (It compromises 80% of his head. XDXD) He didn't mind going around the island with Kouhei, but he couldn't help but get the impression that Kouhei didn't like him much. Kouhei and Ryo end up getting roped into drinking with a bunch of fisherman, during which Kouhei gets roaring drunk. Ryo helps Kouhei back to his room. He makes a slight objection to Kouhei's choice of song to hum, upon which Kouhei starts bitching about how different this Ryo, smart and normal, was to his idiotic one. Ryo realizes that Kouhei had really liked the idiotic Ryo, and that he rather liked that Kouhei was totally straightforward in that way (even though that meant Kouhei was curt and cold to this Ryo). He also realizes when Kouhei grouses about the fisherman making them drink so much that Kouhei had drunk so much as cover so that he wouldn't have to drink too much. He remembers how his heart had skipped when Kouhei had caught him in the field of cosmos flowers. He feels like his body was trying to remember something instead of his useless head.

Ryo approaches Kouhei after classes the next day and asks where they are going to that day. Kouhei, feeling frustrated and irritated, tells him they aren't doing anything that day. Instead, he goes to town to shop for his siblings' Christmas presents, both tired of the crowds and amazed at the sights of the city (At one point he wants to buy coffee and is confused by the sizes offered--what's this "short" "tall" "grande" thing? He just wants the regular size!). He is depressed because he realized while talking to a friend earlier the probable reason for Ryo's normalcy. Love makes people stupid, and Ryo is no longer stupid from love. He runs into his ex-girlfriend and they talk, but he can't concentrate on the conversation.

The next day, Ryo excitedly relates having gone to Kouhei's apartment and talking to the landlord about when he lived there. Miyako drops by to ask Kouhei to a nice restaurant in town now that he's able to leave the island (or, in her mind, get on a boat XD;). Ryo asks about going to town, suggesting that they go together some time to do some shopping. But Kouhei can't imagine going to town with this Ryo, who doesn't remember him, who isn't his idiotic Ryo, who is the reason why he can now go to town. He declines, saying that going to town wouldn't be helpful in gaining Ryo's memories back. Ryo, upset that Kouhei only seems interested in Ryo regaining his memory, declares that he no longer cares about doing so. It's not like the selective memory loss causes problems in daily life, and he's become proper friends with Kouhei again; he wants to hang out and do stuff with Kouhei now. But Kouhei is having none of it. Proper? There's nothing proper about it! He tells Ryo that they weren't friends, that they were in fact dating. Ryo then confesses that he may actually like Kouhei in a not-friends kind of a way, but Kouhei rejects him. This Ryo is not his Ryo. This Ryo doesn't know anything. He asks if Ryo thinks about him all day every day, if Ryo would want to move next door to him, if Ryo would go to town to buy water or bread for Kouhei, if Ryo would trip because he keeps staring at Kouhei's face while walking, if Ryo would burst into tears over a simple kiss...He tells Ryo that it's pointless if he can't remember.

Ryo, wanting to be alone, ends up at the island shrine. He thinks back on how he became stranger and stranger around Kouhei, how his heart would beat faster around Kouhei. And when Kouhei told him they had been going out? He was surprised, but so happy. He didn't care if he was strange, if they were strange. He realized he loved Kouhei, so none of it mattered...And yet that joy was followed by crushing defeat. Kouhei didn't want him, Kouhei wanted and loved the old him. He starts to cry. Some kids show up and ask why he's crying again--did the person he loved reject him again? Ryo doesn't understand what the kids mean, but he feels compelled to tell them. He simply realized the person he loved didn't love him back. That person loved the "Prince." (The neat parallel that is totally missed in my summary is that in the first scene with Ryo and the kids, Ryo refers to himself as "Prince" in that way the Japanese refer to themselves by title/name, esp to kids, but in this instance Ryo is using the pronoun for "I" and only uses "Prince" in quotes to refer to the old him.)

In the meantime, Kouhei doesn't realize for a while that Ryo's not around. He thinks that Ryo is avoiding him because he sprung the "we were dating" bombshell, but can't actually remember all that he said to Ryo because he had been so upset. He just remembers Ryo kind of wandering off in a shocked daze. When Kouhei tries to talk to Ryo the next day, Ryo actively avoids him. Kouhei comes upon Ryo once again treating Machida to lunch and scolds Ryo, but Ryo just tells Kouhei to stop being concerned about him because he's not the same person as before.

Ryo yearns to remember because he yearns to be with Kouhei. He even stops by Kouhei's apartment building every day just to look up at Kouhei's window. He wonders how his feelings before were different from his now, but it's not like he can know. He just figures that he must have been very happy before, having been so loved by Kouhei...

On the way home from playing Santa Claus for the kids late at night on Christmas Eve, Kouhei catches sight of Ryo walking along. He follows Ryo to the shrine where Ryo prays. When Ryo comes out of the shrine, Kouhei asks Ryo what he is doing so late at night alone. Ryo explains that he's attempting a certain type of pilgrimage that requires a hundred visits to a shrine, but Kouhei realizes that Ryo has confused the pilgrimage tradition with a curse that is performed at the dead of night. How idiotic! Not only was Ryo confusing the different traditions, he was putting himself in danger by going out by himself late at night. Ryo tells Kouhei to leave him alone. Kouhei tries to explain that a) Ryo was getting his traditions wrong and b) this shrine isn't very effective for prayers and mentions the remote shrine (they had gone to before). Ryo then decides to go to that shrine right then, because he didn't know how else he was going to regain his memory. Kouhei tries to stop him, and pulls Ryo in his arms to keep him from running away. Ryo keeps struggling until they fall down. Ryo then starts to cry about not being able to remember. Kouhei won't like him until he remembers. Kouhei hadn't remembered his own words, but he is struck by how ridiculous Ryo is. He realizes that Ryo had become idiotic again, all because he loved Kouhei. Ryo is Ryo, with or without his memory. Kouhei kisses Ryo, who quiets down at the kiss.

The two head to Kouhei's apartment, where Kouhei holds Ryo and takes turns kissing him and gazing at his face. He can imagine spending the whole night just holding and being affectionate to Ryo, damn Christmas Eve and all the conventional ways to spend it. But when Ryo kisses him back in return, Kouhei is turned on. He leads Ryo by explaining that there was a third way besides cranes and cabbages to obtain a baby called "sex." After all, there were times when a crane couldn't get to the people, and places where cabbages could grow, right? Kouhei explains that he wants to that with Ryo. He has to explain that "sex" wasn't only for making babies, but something that felt good, that it was a way to get to know each other. Ryo agrees that he wants to know Kouhei better (which only turns Kouhei on even more). And so Kouhei starts to explore Ryo's body, doing all kinds of things (which Ryo is completely clueless about) until they reach anal penetration. Kouhei is full of a desire to make Ryo feel good, full of love. That feeling spills out and he tells Ryo he loves him. Ryo is filled with happiness, but then Ryo loses consciousness...

When Ryo wakes up, he's regained his memory. He doesn't know where he is, but realizes that he and Kouhei are naked, Kouhei is on top of him, and something is stuck up his ass. Kouhei explains what is inside of him, and is going to pull out. But Ryo realizes that Kouhei doesn't actually want to pull out, so he insists that he's fine this way if that's what Kouhei wants. Kouhei then kisses Ryo more, explaining that he's not kissing Ryo because Ryo looks like he wants to be kissed. Kouhei is kissing Ryo because he wants to, because he loves Ryo. Once again, Ryo is filled with happiness, and Kouhei declares that he'll tell Ryo he loves him over and over so that Ryo doesn't lose his memory again and the sex continues without problems.

The next day, Ryo and Kouhei go to town on one of Ryo's cruisers. Kouhei, sick of the crowds, finds Honshu not to his taste. As they head back to the island, Kouhei finds out that Ryo's dream is to be Kouhei's wife. Kouhei of course tells Ryo that he's being stupid, but when Ryo looks really sad he tells him he can become something like a wife though they can't actually get married. Ryo says he'll wake up before Kouhei in the morning and sing lullabies at night, cook and clean and wait for him...Kouhei indulges in some fantasies until he imagines Ryo holding a pot with something that smells funny in it. He tells Ryo not to ever make him any food if he wants Kouhei to live a long life. XD



Junjou Island



Ryo greeting the island kids.




Ryo rushing out to buy Kouhei bottled water.




Kouhei, drunk, kissing Ryo.




Ryo crying at the realization that Kouhei didn't love him.




Ryo happy that Kouhei doesn't hate him and wants him around.




Ryo and Kouhei in the field of cosmos flowers.


Junjou Christmas



Ryo admitting that he might look like he wants to be kissed.




Ryo wondering what part of his body Kouhei is going to eat...




Kouhei, drunk, bitching at Ryo that he's not Kouhei's idiotic Ryo.




Ryo crying that Kouhei won't love him if he doesn't remember.




Raburabu!





omake manga by Natsume Isaku

*They aren't married.

Ryo: Kouhei, welcome home!
sfx: gya (scream)
Kouhei: What the hell are you doing? I told you not to cook any meals! (The apron's kind of nice, though)
Ryo: This isn't a meal, this is a sweet (Purin!)...You're tired from your part-time job, right? (It's good to eat something sweet when you're tired)
Kouhei: No...I don't want any...
Why don't you notice this stink?
Ryo: Really...But...I seem to be bad at cooking right now (<--Doesn't realize it)
Ryo: I want to cook anything you like, Kouhei
Ryo: So I thought I'd try something simple, but...I'm sorry for doing too much...
Geez, already...
Ryo: H...how is it?
Kouhei: ...Ah...There's a lot of stuff in this...
<---surumeika (type of squid)
Do your best, Kouhei!!


"Ryoute Ippai" by Suzuki Shoko is the ending from one of the Arlsan Senki OVAs and a lovely, lovely song. I thought it was appropriate for this book because of a) the image of an armful of flowers and b) the lyrics in general--so sweet and about always being together! Download the song here and check out the lyrics here.

Comments

[svz-insanity.livejournal.com]

Aww! It looks so cute! *intrigued*

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

Oh yes it is!!

[nokiirat.livejournal.com]

i enjoyed the amusing summary. ♥

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

It's an amusing book. XD