At school, Kyousuke is lost in thought when Hikaru runs up behind him with a ``Guess who?'' The answer is obvious, but she's still surprised. She continues to bubble on about his father's photo exhibition, saying she and Madoka will come to it, and that they will also help setting it up. Kyousuke answers ok, but obviously his mind is elsewhere. He's also embarrassed by her overly expressive gratitude.
Later Hikaru and Madoka are on the school roof, talking. Hikaru is complaining to Madoka that ``Darling'' is acting cold to her when others are around. She thinks he's probably embarrassed, and is worried because he shouldn't mind other people seeing if he actually loves her. She then begins to wonder if maybe he has someone else in mind. Madoka fiercely denies this, and goes on to tell her, ``Don't worry about anything. Be near him and you'll be ok. You're cute after all.'' Hikaru is overjoyed to hear this and hugs Madoka, who looks up with an expression that suggests she's not sure that she did the right thing.
After school, Kurumi is hitting a volleyball around with some other girls. They are all planning on skipping cleaning the classroom. Kurumi tells them that Manami can handle that kind of thing. One of the girls offers to help patch up things, but Kurumi doesn't want that. Thinking of Manami, she belts the ball really hard (probably using power too) managing to nail Yuusaku in the face through the open third floor window, and knocking him to the floor. When the girls with Kurumi realize who she hit, they all decide to go off and help with the cleaning. Yuusaku comes racing down the stairs to find his assailant. Hikaru finds him just as he meets Kurumi and figures out she hit him. Hikaru dissuades Yuusaku from retaliation with a combination of insulting him, ``That's the fault of slow reflexes that you couldn't avoid the ball!!'' and shameless charm.
Madoka is walking home thinking of her conversation on the roof with Hikaru. She remembers a time when the two of them were younger. They were looking for four-leafed-clovers beside a river. Madoka found one, and Hikaru instantly wanted it. She ran off with Hikaru chasing, until Hikaru fell down and started crying. She looked at the clover, her crying friend and gave the clover to Hikaru. Coming back to the present with a sigh, Madoka hears Manami cry out she just cut her finger. Madoka comes over, kindly stops the bleeding and bandages the finger with a strip torn from her own handkerchief. Continuing home, Madoka passes Kyousuke who says that he's going to Abcb with Hikaru and invites her to join them. She just turns her back on him and keeps on walking. Kyousuke is puzzled at her changed attitude. He wonders why she acting so differently.
Later, at Abcb, Hikaru is shocked that Madoka said she won't be able to come help set up for Kyousuke's father's exhibition. Madoka apologies, saying, ``I forgot that Master asked me a favor. Right, Master?'' Master, a bit surprised at this, replies that he needed her help for a party that evening. Hikaru doesn't believe that Abcb is big enough for a party, but is finally convinced otherwise. Kyousuke muses that it would have been nice if they all could have worked together. Madoka leans over and says to him, ``You've got Hikaru, isn't that good enough?'' But Kyousuke, somehow, feels that she's lying.
At the gallery, several people have shown up to help. Kurumi and Manami are still mad at each other, but Komatsu and Hatta are overjoyed to be with them helping. Hikaru is helping with Kyousuke, who is so distracted thinking about Madoka that he hangs one picture upside down. Back at Abcb, Madoka apologizes to Master for making him lie. Master says it's ok, and adds that it's the first time he's seen her lie. There aren't any customers that night, and Master comments it's better that way once in a while.
Back at the gallery, Hikaru points out a large picture of herself in a bikini holding a surfboard as the #1 model. Kurumi agrees. Manami thinks the photo of Madoka in a red swimsuit next to it looks really great too. Komatsu says that Father should take more human photos. Hatta suggests maybe nudes, and then blames Komatsu for suggesting such a dirty thing. Hikaru asks Kyousuke which he likes better, her picture or the real her. He doesn't even answer, which she doesn't appreciate.
In return for helping, Kyousuke's father offers to take the whole gang out to dinner. Kyousuke is the last to leave the gallery, turning out the lights. At the door, Hikaru stops him. He says he'll join her later, but she's insistent with her question. She comments that today he was acting funny, and wasn't paying attention when she was talking to him. She asserts that he's found a new girl, which he denies. She doesn't believe him and makes him swear that he hasn't, which he does, with a worried look over his shoulder at the picture of Madoka. Hikaru is overjoyed. It's just the way Madoka said. She tells Kyousuke that Madoka told her, ``Be near Darling all the time, and things will be fine!'' Now Kyousuke knows why Madoka's been acting the way she has.
At Abcb Master is just finishing messing up the place with confetti, streamers, balloons and the like. Madoka says he didn't have to go this far, but Master says, ``When you lie, make it thorough. What if they drop by afterwards?'' She appreciates his understanding.
At the restaurant with the helpers, Kurumi comments that there is nothing as good as food after work. Komatsu and Hatta get into an argument over stealing food, which ends up splattering Kyousuke with potato salad. He barely notices, thinking what Madoka did for Hikaru's sake. He gets up, and when Hikaru asks, says he's going to the bathroom. But, he surprises the waiter by walking in the opposite direction.
He calls Madoka from a phone booth, but only manages to get her answering machine. She is at the top of The Stairs, playing her saxophone, with tears running down her face. She remembers the first time that she met Kyousuke, his reaction when he thought that she was getting married, and their conversation when she ended up not going to America. Kyousuke runs into Abcb and, when he sees Madoka is not there, runs out to continue searching. At home, Madoka takes a shower and listens to the messages on her answering machine. They're all from Kyousuke. He's called several times, apologizing for calling so much, but has trouble saying what he wants to say.
He comes to the phone booth outside her house and tries one last call. Madoka hears the phone ringing as she comes out of the shower. She ignores it for a while but finally answers. ``Hello. This is Ayukawa. I'm not home right now. Please leave your name and message after the tone. Peep! This is your fifth call, isn't it? Go ahead.'' Kyousuke looks up and sees her, wrapped in a towel, looking out the window at him. When he tries to express himself again, she says simply, ``I understand,'' and waves at him with a smile on her face.
The next evening at the photo gallery, Kurumi and Manami are commenting that both Madoka and Hikaru's pictures look great. They ask Kyousuke which one he thinks is better. Kyousuke thinks to himself that this is a decision that he can't make easily. When he doesn't answer, his sisters elbow him and say, ``Make up your mind!''
Hikaru and Madoka come in to see the exhibit. Hikaru is her outgoing bubbly self waving and yelling to get her Darling's attention. Madoka, on the other hand, signs the register and greets him with a quiet wave and a simple smile. Kyousuke bows deeply to both of them and welcomes them into the exhibit.