This week’s episode is just as adorable and relaxing to watch as the previous two, though I have a feeling a bit of a conflict may occur in the coming episodes.  The episode starts off with Oscar watching Yune iron clothes for everyone when Claude comes in and is somewhat shocked that she knows how to iron things.  Yune explains that they iron their kimonos to keep the creases firm.  This intrigues Claude and he starts asking about what Japan is like.  Oscar tells him that Yune’s home town Nagasaki is like a maze of paper and wood.  This confuses Claude, so Oscar explains that everything in Japan from their doors to their lanterns are made of paper and wood.  He then goes on to say that they sleep on woven hay, but instead of thinking of futons, Claude thinks that they sleep on literal piles of hay.  When Oscar tells him that everyone is short and he felt like he was a giant, Claude instantly thinks of millions of little Yune’s milling around.  While it’s an adorable image, it’s also just a little bit scary.  Claude then mutters something about Japan sounding like a scary country, but no one says anything as he slinks away to his workshop.  A little bit later, Yune brings out the dinnerware set that she uses in Japan to show Claude and he’s amazed that everything is so small.  He has Yune hold the sake cup and is awed by the fact that it fits so well in her hands.

Later, before heading out to meet his lady friend, Oscar visits Claude in the workshop to see what he’s working on.  Claude tells him that it’s a sign for a music shop, but the owner of the shop will only buy the sign if he likes it, so he’s having a hard time coming up with a good idea.  Oscar seems shocked that Claude was even willing to make that deal and expresses his concerns, but Claude tells him he doesn’t have much choice since business is down.  Wishing him luck, Oscar takes his leave for the day.  Later that afternoon, Yune asks Claude if he has anything else he’d like her to iron and when he says no, she seems a bit dejected so Claude decides to take a break from his work to have some tea with Yune.  While chatting over tea, they discuss different things, including Claude’s project.  Before their conversation can go much further, Oscar arrives with a small gift for Yune.  As she unwraps it, it’s actually a small pastry and as she eats it, she’s delighted at the flavor.  But when Oscar begins to throw away the red paper the treat was wrapped in, Yune asks if she can have it.  When Oscar gives it to her, she makes a crane utilizing her origami skills.  Claude is impressed and Oscar is delighted that Yune gave it to him as thanks for the pastry.  Afterwards, Oscar says his good-byes, since he is to meet his lady friend for lunch at a local cafe.  Meanwhile, we see a young French girl in a very upscale house wearing Yune’s kimono that Claude accidentally sold.  She claims to be a huge fan of anything from Japan and says that the kimono that her sister bought her is a much better present than the gallery that her father gave her (yes, her father gave her the gallery that Claude, Yune and Oscar live and work in).  Her sister then informs her that she bought that very kimono in that “dirty gallery” and it seems to shut the little brat up.

Later in the day, Claude is taking another break from trying to come up with ideas for the sign and sees that Yune is writing a letter.  He sneaks the piece of scrap paper away and Yune panics, begging him not to read it, though Claude can’t make heads or tales of the kanji.  Suddenly, he asks Yune to write out her name and she does so, explaining that her name means “the sound of hot water.”  Claude thinks it’s a bit silly, but Yune tells him that the Japanese love the sounds of nature and it’s reflected in their names.  She then writes out her older sister Shione’s name and tells him that her name means “the sound of falling water.”  Claude then takes the opportunity to try writing the symbol for “sound” on a piece of scrap paper before realizing that Yune was writing her older sister a letter.  He then scolds her, telling her that she can’t use scrap paper to write a letter but Yune protests, saying that proper stationary paper is expensive and she’s perfectly happy using scrap paper for it.  Claude doesn’t believe her, but he heads back to his workshop, taking the piece of paper that Yune wrote his name on with him.  After staring at the symbol for a moment, he suddenly gets an idea and sets to work.  The next day, he finally finishes his piece and shows Yune, telling her that he used her name to create the sign and Yune is thrilled at how it looks.  Claude gingerly wraps up the piece and tells Yune to watch the shop while  he takes the sign to the store owner.

We then see Claude talking to the store owner, who looks impressed by his work and he leaves the building smiling.  He then runs into his grandfather and informs him that he sold the sign and planned on heading to the stationary store to buy Yune some paper so that she can write a letter to her sister.  Oscar is pleased that he was able to sell the sign and agrees to go back to the store to check up on Yune.  Meanwhile, Yune is watching the store and notices a cat sitting just outside the front door.  She goes to pet it, but is conflicted because Claude trusted her to watch the store, but she desperately wants to pet the cat.  However, nature seems to make the decision for her since a clap of thunder causes the cat to skitter off just as Oscar arrives.  He informs Yune that Claude will be a little late since he went to buy her paper, but Yune seems more worried about the fact that Claude is out in the rain with no umbrella.  So she rushes inside, throws on her clogs and grabs an umbrella before asking Oscar to watch the store while she goes to find Claude.  Oscar smiles and agrees, watching Yune shuffle down the road towards the paper store.  When she arrives, she sees Claude coming out of the store and he walks up to greet her.  He seems a bit happy that she thought enough about him to bring him an umbrella, but he’s irritated with Oscar for ruining his surprise of buying Yune paper (insert Yune cutely denying that Oscar said anything about it).  Since they’re already outside, Claude suggests that he show Yune around the city a little bit more.  Soon the rain stops and Claude takes Yune to a bridge overlooking the city and shows her a gorgeous sunset.  Once they head back to the shop, Oscar hands her the paper he bought her and Yune is delighted.  Meanwhile, the spoiled brat from earlier is informed by her sister that there’s a small Japanese girl living in the gallery, so the girl summons her butler and shouts at him, demanding he find the Japanese girl and invite her to tea.

Opinions:  Another great episode, but this time with a hint of potential drama and/or conflict now that a new character has been introduced.  The fact that Claude actually seems genuinely interested in the culture of Japan shows that he’s interested in learning more about Yune, which is adorable.  It was a really sweet moment to see that he actually used a character from Yune’s name to create a sign when he was having such a hard time thinking of a design.  However, this new girl that claims to be a fan of everything Japanese rubs me the wrong way.  Perhaps it’s because she comes off as a spoiled brat, but I don’t want her to meet Yune.  I have a feeling that deep down, she has a caring heart and she and Yune will eventually become friends, but for now I don’t like her much.  I guess it’s one of those things that we’ll have to wait and see how it develops.

Score: A/A+