[[Category:Volume Volume 16 Chapters]]
Woe! Yaku-san and the Appraisal Troupe (
Summary[]
Rentarou has taken Yaku to an antiques exhibition; the girl-like old-woman is giddy as she states that with how many forgeries there are, none can match a vase as sublime as this, believing this to be a gallery of first-class items. However moments later, the police storm in revealing that all the vases in the exhibition are fake and the owner of the gallery is trying to bamboozle everyone into thinking their real, shutting down the entire exhibition instantly and making Yaku embarrassed in the process for her comment.
As they leave, Yaku admits she isn't that good at discerning real and fake antiques and is more driven by her excitement seeing a vase than whether it's real or not, stating she's been nearly fooled multiple times if it weren't for the advice and fear of her son and granddaughter. Rentarou states that rice may be more valuable than gold to a starving man and value is merely subjective and based on the person; that even if a piece of art is fake, it's feelings of beauty can still be invoked as reality and thus the real focus of a hobby is to merely enjoy oneself, making the old woman see Rentarou's thoughts as kind.
That night, Yaku's granddaughter Kusuri reveals that the "Anything Appraisal Troupe" are going to be doing a show; she wants to watch their show live but can't thinking she rather just watch it on TV if her grandmother was on it; leading to a confusing conversation about their upcoming anime and what is reality and what isn't on television, including Yaku nearly believing Pentarou is real as well!
Eventually the day of the "Anything Appraisal Troupe" show arrives and Rentarou and Yaku do attend, the old woman bringing a vase she states is the most valuable and renowned of all her possessions, to the point she is hugging it and won't let anyone touch it, even Rentarou! The vase is one she adored and confirmed with a photo she saw one-to-one, believing it to be the real thing. However, Rentarou has doubts wondering if the vase is actually fake, wondering of the shock Yaku would feel and wondering if mere judgement should be enough to discern the truth and if they should leave before finding out. Instead, Rentarou asks where the vase came from and Yaku reveals it's from her late husband; she states that she found it in her room one day after adoring it for a long time while stating aside his masculinity and good nature, her husband was also taciturn and awkward and how foolish he was in expressing his love compared to Rentarou, stating her current boyfriend's methods as refreshing. With those words, Rentarou still wonders whether or not it's a fake vase but that the love of the elder Yakuzens as genuine and thus the vase should be as well.
Soon, the appraisal show begins as they begin to go through various artifacts; however every item from a hanging scroll to a plate to lacquerware that Yaku keeps claiming is real turn out to be fake renditions. Eventually, the appraisers reach Yaku's vase; they ask her how confident she is that it's real and she shakes believing it is genuine, Rentarou noticing how the confidence has left her and is worried about the result. As the appraiser looks it over, the final decision is made: the vase was ultimately a forgery, without question!
After leaving the show in the rain, Rentarou worries for Yaku as she shows a depressed face similar to her granddaughter and making Rentarou feel upset about taking her to the appraisal. However looking at the ground, he sees a peculiar shadow; asking Yaku to turn the vase over, he looks and sees text on it:
Thank you...always
Rentarou notices the text in English and believes something like this wouldn't be on a vase, real or fake. He asks Yaku if her husband could speak English and she states it was much better than her ability, making him realize that it was her husband that made the vase; he states that forgers tries to pass off all details as authentic and match it to the real thing and that messages wouldn't be on a forgery; but that Yaku's husband gave a message in a language that she can't read as a means to share how he felt by hiding it in plain sight and since he doesn't believe he would leave making this to someone else, it was a gift that he directly gave to Yaku to share with her no matter what. Rentarou asked if Yaku couldn't recognize the letters and she states she thought it was just "funny-looking scrapes" but wonders how she didn't realize it; Rentarou states it was "hidden" from her; that Yaku's husband didn't expect her to read it and believed that a work with a conspicuous message was genuine, which showed her ability with her discerning eye.
Looking at the message, Yaku finally understands that her vase is even greater than "genuine", but Yaku states Rentarou was the one who made it "more than genuine", thanking him before sneaking a kiss to him by making him think there was something on his nose she had to clear. Yaku praises that her eyes for antiques is wanting but her eye for men is in fine form.
Characters[]
Quote[]
Beginning: Yaku-san has peerless destructive power when she's all giddy.
End: Her discerning eye seems different, somehow.
Next Chapter: Finally time for the 25th...?