Episode 5

## Can I Borrow a Pot?

* Title Screen
* Screenshot

Part Two - Present Day

* 010

## Episode Guide

**Can I Borrow a Pot?**is the fifth episode of the *Cross Game* anime.

Momiji Tsukishima gets sick during the New Years holiday. Aoba is tasked with taking care of her. Kou Kitamura comes over to help to Momiji's delight and Aoba's annoyance.

## Plot

It's New Year's Eve. Kimie and Kensaku Kitamura are stranded at a hot springs but they don't seem to be upset about it. Kimie tells Kou that they should be back by the next afternoon and make sure to lock the house up. Osamu Akaishi then calls to remind Kou about his workout. Kou is running to meet up with Akaishi, who he calls a spartan for making him train on New Year's Eve.

On his way to Akaishi, Kou sees Ichiyou, Seiji and Aoba outside the batting center. Ichiyou and Seiji are packing their car up, seemingly going on a trip. Ichiyou tells Kou their grandmother is sick with a fever and that she and Seiji are going to help take care of her. Aoba is staying behind to look after Momiji, who is also sick. Ichiyou is reluctant to leave Momiji in Aoba's care and asks Kou to stop in and check on them. Aoba asks Ichiyou how she can trust Kou more than her own sister, and that Momiji will be just fine with her alone. Seiji tells Ichiyou that they need to leave. Ichiyou wishes Kou a happy New Year and she and her father leave. Kou tries to ask Aoba how Momiji is feeling, but Aoba cuts him off with a short happy New Years and walks into her house and closes the door, leaving Kou standing there.

While training with Akaishi, Kou asks Akaishi what he meant by Kou being a secret weapon and what was he trying to make him do. Akaishi doesn't answer. Kou then says Akaishi might be overestimating him. Akaishi says that he's not the only one overestimating his abilities. Just as he says that, Daiki Nakanishi appears and the three boys head to the high school's baseball field for some practice. As they are practicing, the high school coach, Sentarou Maeno walks by, sees them and watches. Oblivious to his presence, the three boys continue practicing. Akaishi tells Nakanishi that the school is trying to put together a baseball team quickly. A team that is capable of making it to Koshien. Nakanishi wonders if there is place on such a team for them and Akaishi says that if there isn't, they will just make their own club. Kou finally notices the coach watching and tells the other two. They all quickly run over to Maeno and apologize for trespassing. Maeno, however, doesn't seem to mind. He tells them it's been quite a while since he's seen a pleasant training session.

Back at the Tsukishima house, Momiji is out of bed, looking for Nomo. Aoba tells her to lay back down and that Nomo will come back on his own accord. Momiji lays back down and Aoba tells her she is going to make her some rice soup. Momiji is worried but is saved when Kou shows up, holding Nomo. Aoba thanks him and then tells him to leave. Kou tells her that he brought some ingredients to make New Years soba. Momiji invites him to stay. Aoba refuses but Momiji says Kou is staying and that she wants to eat his food because Aoba's food will give her a stomachache. Stung, Aoba tells Momiji to just do whatever she wanted because all she will do is aggravate her fever and die from it. Considering what the family went through, that really wasn't the best thing to say. Kou angrily grabs Aoba by her shirt collar and stares at her for a long while, with an angry look on his face and Aoba, stares back, stunned by his uncharacteristic behavior. Finally after a long awkward silence, Kou asks her if he can borrow a pot. Aoba smacks his hand way and tells him that he can use whatever he wants. Before cooking, Kou goes and prays to Wakaba's shrine. Aoba apologizes to Momiji, realizing the impact for what she said. Momiji says they can eat Kou's food together, but Aoba stubbornly says she will make her own food.

While waiting for the water to heat up to make her instant soba, Aoba tells Kou to add ginger and an egg in the rice soup and take the seed out the pickled plum and then draw out the flavor with miso. Kou noted how particular she was being and then noticed the cookbook on the table. He tries to grab it but Aoba snatches it and tells him to not touch it. Aoba then takes Nomo to Momiji's room and notices how Momij's fever had gotten worse. Kou comes in and, not noticing Momiji's condition at first, sarcastically tells Aoba how to pour water into her instant soba. Kou finally notices Momiji and quickly takes control of the situation telling Aoba they need to get some ice to bring her fever and a clean pair of pajamas for Momiji to change into once she sweats the fever out. The next few hours, Kou and Aoba work on getting Momiji's fever down. On one of Kou's trip back to Momiji's room from the kitchen, he knocks the cookbook down off the table, when he picks it up, he sees that the cookbook belonged to Wabaka.

Aoba remembers when she was sick and Wakaba took care of her. In a flashback, Wakaba had made her some rice soup, using the cookbook she had just bought. She then remembers that Wakaba even let her sleep with her saying it was just for 'this one time'. In the present day, Kou walks back into the room and invites Aoba to eat some rice soup with him and told her not to worry because he put ginger and an egg in it. He asks Aoba how it is and told her she can pretend it's good to just say something when Aoba stays silent. Aoba says it's just the same as Wakaba's, of course not saying it loud enough for Kou to hear. Momiji, feeling better, shows up in the kitchen and says it's not fair how they are eating without her. Kou says he'll make New Years soba for 3 people. Aoba walks away. Soba for 2 people, then. Momiji tells Aoba about her dream where she was in kindergarten and Wakaba was still alive. In the dream, Wakaba was fussing with Aoba about her clothes being dirty all the time and Aoba says it's proof that she was energetic. Momiji tells Kou that her friend, Ma-chan, her closest friend at school was going to a barbecue restaurant but she (Momiji) likes sushi more than barbecue. She then says her drawing of her mother, Youko, won first place. Momiji stayed out late with Kou, worrying her sisters. When she arrived back home, she stays that Kou listened to her talk for a long time and that they played pro wrestling in the park.

Back in the present, Momiji tells Aoba that Kou is an honest and dependable guy. Aoba tells her to stop talking like that or she'll get a fever again. Arriving in the kitchen where Kou is cooking, Aoba tells him to go sit with Momiji because she (Aoba) isn't as good of a big sister as Wakaba was. Kou tells her that's not true and that she's not as worthless as she thinks she is. Aoba throws the container of instant soba at Kou, asking him who he is calling worthless. Kou, Aoba and Momiji finally eat, Kou and Momiji eating Kou's homemade soba and Aoba eating instant container soba that she says "tastes great in it's own way".

The three soon fall asleep. Aoba, in her sleep, shifts closer to Kou who is sleeping beside her, thinking he is Wakaba. Kou doesn't attempt to move and goes back to sleep. The next morning, Momiji's fever has completely broken. She then comments on the nice atmosphere that Kou and Aoba had. Kou makes them some breakfast and then leaves. Outside, he's stopped by Aoba who thanks him for his help. She notices his exercise bag and asks him if it's true that he is training to box. Kou says yeah, they will just leave the assumption at that for now. As he is walking home, Kou says to himself how much he's looking forward to sleeping New Year's Day away but Akaishi calls him for training.

Before the ending credits, we see Nakanishi training by doing sit up, Momiji and Aoba playing catch, Yuuhei Azuma is running, and Kou is practicing his pitching. Everyone is getting ready for baseball in the spring.

## Characters

### Order of appearance

* Kimie Kitamura
* Kensaku Kitamura
* Kou Kitamura
* Aoba Tsukishima
* Ichiyou Tsukishima
* Seiji Tsukishima
* Tokie Asami (mentioned)
* Kikuji Asami (mentioned)
* Osamu Akaishi
* Daiki Nakanishi
* Sentarou Maeno
* Momiji Tsukishima
* Nomo
* Wakaba Tsukishima (photo and flashback)
* Youko Tsukishima (mentioned and picture)
* Keiichirou Senda (mentioned)
* Yuuhei Azuma

## Trivia

* **Title drop/reference:** "Can I Borrow a Pot?" is a question Kou asks Aoba in the episode
* This episode once again, brings up Aoba's horrible cooking skills on top of being a bad nurse.
* The publisher of Wakaba's cookbook, Synergy, is the same name of the studio that produced the *Cross Game* anime

### Anime/Manga differences

##### Changes

* In the manga, Ichiyou and Seiji had already left to visit their sick relative before the chapter begins, while in the anime, they are shown leaving

##### Additions to anime

* Kou working out with Akaishi
* Kou, Akaishi and Nakanishi practicing at the high school