Rin befriends Kouki, a boy she met at the local nursery school, while Daikichi's pulse races a bit when he meets Kouki's beautiful single mother. Later, the modem Daikichi found leads him to his grandfather's last words. And from there, he receives a contact number for Rin's mother, Masako...

Daikichi finally meets Rin's mother, Masako, and he's shocked by her frankness. When they part, Masako asks Daikichi for a favor, and it's an issue that Daikichi can't avoid, as long as he's going to raise Rin. Daikichi tries to resolve it by having a heart-to-heart conversation with Rin, but he gets an unexpected answer...

When Rin enters elementary school, Daikichi proposes planting a tree to commemorate the occasion. Rin plants a loquat seed in the yard, but there's no telling whether it will actually put forth buds. Thinking that perhaps Souichi planted something to mark Rin's birth, Daikichi has another visit with Masako...

During Rin's summer vacation, Daikichi and Rin visit her father's grave, where they find an ink bottle and bellflowers. Daikichi runs after Masako, Rin's mother, who had just been there, and when he catches up, offers her an unusual proposal.