Episode 13

## This Isn't Going So Well

**This Isn't Going So Well** (なかなかうまくいかないねぇ, *Nakanaka Umaku Ikanai nē*?) is the thirteenth episode of the A Couple of Cuckoos anime series.

## Plot

For the first time in his life, Nagi doesn't place 2nd or higher on a test, making him feel dejected. What caused this failure was his thoughts and feelings over Hiro, Erika, and Sachi, all of whom he thinks he has feelings for.

## Summary

Three students approach Nagi at his footlocker, asking him if he's prepared for the upcoming midterm tests, and he sternly answers yes. Elated, the students relish the response as they place bets on him again. While Nagi walks away from them, he recalls what advice his father gave him about picking his future bride, which has him perplexed about and questioning his love for only Hiro. In class, Nagi reflects on his feelings mainly for Erika and Sachi; this also causes him to get stressed out and not be focused on the test he's taking.

At home, Sachi and Erika sigh deeply, relieved now that their test periods are over, as Nagi prepares dinner. Erika then tries to order a cake to celebrate a job well done on their tests, but Nagi denies allowing her to as he's preparing dinner for them. Furthermore, Nagi notes how much Erika had changed from the previous month when they spent the day together. However, he snaps himself out of that thought when Erika asks for dinner and then has her and Sachi prepare the table.

The following day, Hiro approaches Nagi and asks if he's okay because of his mood during the exams. Nagi assures her he's fine, and the two walk to their classroom. There, Nagi learns that he placed 13th in the school standing, leaving him flustered and dejected. Several groups of students that once praised Nagi throughout the day now disparage him for his standing. One, in particular, was Shion, who claims he failed by obsessing over Erika throughout the test. Their conversation is disturbed by Hiro, who glares at Nagi with an upset look on her face for a bit and then walks away.

Later that day at home, Erika gossips to Sachi about how Nagi placed 13th in the Midterm tests, which astonishes her. Within his room, Nagi reflects on his bed about how he failed his test and his feelings for Erika, Sachi, and Hiro. Eventually, Erika barges into his room and demands that Nagi prepares dinner. This gets the two into a heated argument over Nagi's 13th placement in the exams, but it ends after Erika assures Nagi, who thinks of himself as trash, is still valuable to her. So Nagi soon prepares dinner and then spends the rest of the evening hours continuing his studying endeavor.

The following morning, Nagi takes a shower, and Erika barges in on him when he's done with it. Later at school, a psyched Nagi hopes to redeclare to Hiro about beating her at the mid-term test. However, she never comes to their morning study session, but Erika does and informs Nagi that Hiro is running late and will arrive later. An argument then breaks between the two, and Hiro hears it from outside the library where they study, prompting her to leave the two be.

Afterward, Nagi runs into Hiro, and they briefly talk, only for Hiro to walk away before Nagi can ask his important question for her. Nagi would later realize that Hiro was avoiding him; however, Nagi later finds a note in his shoe locker from Hiro asking for him to meet her in the back of the gym later. Asking for Erika's opinion on the matter, she claims that Nagi has reached rock bottom with his relationship with her. Unbeknownst to the two, Hiro was watching them.

After school, at the designated location where Nagi was supposed to meet with Hiro, he blurts out his emotions to her, but she insists they play basketball with her. They also have a heart-to-heart, where Hiro confesses that she was always under the impression that she was the only one to reach his heart.

That night, Nagi passionately studies but is interrupted by Erika, who asks that he help her with her studies. However, Nagi flatly refuses and claims that their father can pull some strings to help her. However, Erika reveals that their father wants her back home if she fails her make-up midterm exam.

## Characters

* Nagi Umino
* Yohei Umino (Flashback)
* Hiro Segawa
* Erika Amano
* Sachi Umino
* Shion Asuma
* Souichirou Amano