Title

Anichame, Cheki desu

Aired

2001.08.29

• Summary by Kevin Lew, 2002.04.14

Then Yotsuba returned to reality. It turned out that she was walking home from the grocery store with Wataru, Aria, and Haruka. Yotsuba was talking about having a rival thief. I'm guessing that this was because Yotsuba thinks of herself as an investigator.

[title]

All of the sisters, Mami, and Wataru were wearing kimonos and were having their pictures taken. They were apparently getting ready for the upcoming new year.

Mami was shocked that Shiroyuki was putting icing on some kagami-mochi. (You know, that stack of rice cakes with a tangerine on top--it's not meant to be decorated, by the way).

Rinrin even dressed Mecha-Rinrin in a very large kimono.

Haruka and Yotsuba were playing that traditional game where you use a shuttlecock and those wooden paddles. (What's it called again? Gosh darn it, I can't believe that I've forgotten all of my Japanese culture notes).

Then Haruka ended the daydream (which was all of the above, apparently) as she was very excited about the upcoming festival. She said that this would be her first oshougatsu with him. (Kev's note: I have NEVER figured out what exactly is "oshougatsu", as no Japanese person wants to explain it to me). Wataru asked her about it, but Haruka turned very red and said that she was embarrassed.

Aria stopped and everybody saw that there was a squirrel (which looks different from American squirrels) sitting in the tree. All the sisters got very excited. Aria begged Wataru to give it some food. So Yotsuba and Aria watched the squirrel hold some food with its paws as it ate.

Mami was giving directions around the dinner table about how it should be set. Kaho and Hinako were getting all the plates, and they were going to get the spoons and forks later. Marie asked her about where to serve the soup, and Mami told her to put it on the table. Mami seemed fairly proud of herself. But then her computer let out a "mooing" sound, letting her know that she had e-mail.

She hid in the corner and looked at her laptop, which she was somehow carrying in her blouse. The letter once again came from her mysterious benefactor. Mami got furious with something that the message said. When she got out of the corner, she knocked over the music box that Wataru had gotten for Christmas.

Mami caught the box just as it hit the floor, but one of the wooden legs fell off. Mami panicked. Then Kaho asked her about which forks should they use for the fruit. But Mami didn't answer Kaho. Instead she appeared to have "fixed" the music box, and said that everything was fine, and sneaked away very nervously.

The next day, Yotsuba ran into Wataru and "checked" him again with her magnifying glass. Apparently Wataru wanted to find something. Yotsuba immediately said that he could leave it to her. Wataru said that it was okay, but Yotsuba insisted and began snooping in his room with her magnifying glass. Wataru decided to let her do as she wished.

Then she saw a squirrel run out from under the bed and out into the hall. Yotsuba followed it, but lost sight of it. She thought that she saw tracks. But in reality it was Hinako's footprints as her feet had gotten wet and she was mincing around the floor.

That afternoon, all the sisters had gathered around the dinner table for a discussion. Apparently all of the girls had had things taken from their rooms recently. Each of the girls, of course, lost something that would symbolize them. For instance, Karen said that she lost her hair clips, Chikage said that she lost her Tarot cards, and Hinako said that she lost her jellybeans. Chikage sounded very upset, and said that dire things would happen when she found out who took it. But the other sisters quickly said that Yotsuba would capture this mysterious thief.

Yotsuba said that nobody could leave, as obviously somebody was the thief. But when Mami asked who it was, Yotsuba admitted that she didn't know and it was a mystery. Meanwhile the squirrel lurked in the rafters above them.

Later, Kaho was listening to the music box, as she said that it made her very happy. Then the squirrel ran past her, and startled her. She jostled the music box, and the leg immediately fell off again. Kaho became very frightened as she knew that it was very important. But Yotsuba appeared and said that she'd help her. Yotsuba thought that she was going to confess to the thefts, but Kaho said that it was totally different. When Kaho explained, Yotsuba said that it wouldn't be a problem.

They went to a store downtown where they talked to a man. The old man said that he would repair it for them, and Yotsuba and Kaho were pleased. However, it would take some time. Yotsuba said that she had a plan to cover this up.

Outside the house, Aria and Hinako were playing with the squirrel again. Chikage was watching them. She held out her crystal ball. She said that she would not forgive the one that took her things.

Wataru was in his room. He saw a flash of something colorful pass by his door. He went to see what it was. He ended up chasing the person outside. From on top of the gazebo, the mysterious person introduced herself. She said that she was the Bishoujo Kaitou Clover, and it looked very obviously like Yotsuba wearing a costume and a mask. Wataru, however, seemed stunned.

[eyecatch]

Yamada had shown up at the house. He was shocked when he heard about this mysterious thief. The thief appeared to have stolen the music box. Mami was secretly relieved as her crime was now hidden from everyone.

Karen asked Wataru what they would do. Sakuya was very angry as it was an important gift from her brother. But Yotsuba quickly said that she would take care of it.

Apparently earlier, Clover said that she would kidnap Yotsuba if he tried to interfere with her plans. She said that she knew that she knew that she was his special younger sister. Wataru said that he understood, and she vanished.

Wataru said that not to worry, that Yotsuba would take care of it. Yotsuba sounded very confident and serious about catching this thief.

Chikage was in her room looking at her crystal ball. She saw something in it, and she said that she now understood what it was.

Yotsuba's bird toy was dipping its head inside a cage. Kaho was talking to Yotsuba, as she was getting afraid that the others would catch on to what was happening. But Yotsuba said not to worry.

In Mami's room, she was grasping her head as the guilt was slowly consuming her.

The next morning, Yamada was wearing a kimono and looked like he was some inspector from the old samurai shows. But then he fell off the railing, looking very uncool.

Then he dressed up in a suit and was riding a skateboard (he was cosplaying Detective Conan). Then, as he was coming up with something witty (in Conan's voice), he ran face first into a pillar and knocked himself out.

Then Wataru dressed in regular Westerner clothes and began talking to himself. But he fell over again. (I'm not sure who he was supposed to be cosplaying).

When Kaho and Yotsuba returned to the store the next day, the old man apologized, but it would take a little more time to fix it. Kaho wondered what to do. But Yotsuba whispered an idea to Kaho, and she became very shocked.

Wataru was sitting at his desk staring at the ceiling. He wondered if Yotsuba would really be okay. Then he got a knock on his door. Kaho gave him a note. The letter was from Bishoujo Kaitou Clover saying that she had kidnapped the cutest member of the sisters, Yotsuba. She said to meet him at the highest point of the island if he wanted to see her again.

Wataru ran all the way up to the peak of the island, where the statue was. Apparently there is a small park, and the statue actually stands on the back of a turtle. But when he got there, Clover (who insisted on being called only "Bishoujo Kaitou Clover") threw him another note. Wataru demanded that he return Yotsuba, but she said that he had to follow the next instructions. She threw more notes and Wataru said that he understood. Then she vanished again.

The note had four clovers, a butterfly, and an eye on it. Wataru knew that it was a rebus of some some sort. He said that it was (I couldn't hear it), but it was a store downtown.

When he got there, Clover gave him another note. This time the rebus had a fried cake in the shape of a fish, and an soft ice cream cone. Wataru went to the stand that sold these things and bought both of them. But then Clover appeared and snatched the fried cake out of his hands, saying that it was delicious. Then she ran away, and Wataru chased after her. They ran around alleys and climbed a mysterious ladder that somehow took them to a rooftop of a building. (I imagine this gag is because all thieves always travel via rooftops in most anime/manga).

The two were running in the park. Clover fell down, and Wataru helped her back up. Then she bowed in appreciation and began to run some more, and Wataru continued the chase.

It was early in the evening when Clover and Wataru appeared back at the Welcome House. Wataru had Clover against the railing. He said that there was nowhere to run. He demanded the return of his special little sister, and he wasn't going to leave without her. Clover blushed slightly and seemed moved by his words. After a pause, Clover said that she was beaten and she would return Yotsuba, with the condition that you couldn't ask her where she had been. Wataru agreed. She ran behind the water fountain and then Yotsuba appeared.

Wataru said that he was grateful to see her again. Then Yotsuba ran up to him and hugged him. Then Karen asked what was happening. Karen, Haruka, Kaho, and Haruka were all there, and seemed concerned that there was a thief still out there. But Wataru said that it wasn't a big deal and looked at Yotsuba. She laughed nervously.

But then Kaho couldn't take it anymore and said that she was the mysterious thief that took the music box. Then Mami jumped in and screamed that she was the one that actually broke it. She looked very sad, and then she apologized to everyone for not telling the truth earlier.

Just then, the old man appeared. He said that he finally got it repaired and he gave the music box back to Wataru. Yotsuba said that it was a good thing. But Wataru said that it wasn't a good thing. He said that Yotsuba and Kaho's game had gotten everyone needlessly concerned. The other sisters were smiling, but Yotsuba and Kaho looked very guilty and apologized immediately. Then he asked Mami for her apology, and she immediately produced it.

That evening, the table had a stack of items that were missing from everyone's room. Chikage said that she found them. Wataru asked who was taking it, and then the squirrel appeared on her shoulder and ran down her arm. Apparently Chikage had befriended the squirrel in the end, and petted it. She said the squirrel had taken everyone's things. So Chikage said that it wouldn't take any more of anybody's things.

Wataru was writing a letter explaining what had happened earlier today. He was staring at the ceiling in his chair. Just then he got an e-mail from someone. In Mami's room, she also got an e-mail around the same time.

As they both read the mail, they both had identical messages. Wataru was very excited as Akio was coming to see him. Mami panicked as her mysterious benefactor was coming to see her.