Beautiful Life: Episode 2

A woman appears at the library asking about Shuji. Meanwhile, there are some promotions being made at the salon Shuji works out, but he doesn't get a promotion.

This series also helps people to understand the kinds of problems that people in wheelchairs have. Here Kyoko is trying to get something from a vending machine but she can't reach the level she needs to push.

Kyoko and Shuji eat at the same table. They are joined by one of the other workers at the library who keeps telling Shuji how Kyoko has been waiting to see him. Kyoko is trying to be friendly, but Shuji isn't acting nice at all. Shuji's main competition at work lies to a reporter in order to prevent another interview with Shuji. One of the female workers at the salon and Shuji talks and he's nasty even to her.

Kyoko talks to a girlfriend of hers and tells her that she (Kyoko) will never fall in love. Miyama, a friend of hers, comes to visit and shows her an invention he made that attaches to her wheelchair and will hold pop cans and coffee cups. He tells her that he likes her and wants to know if she will go out with him.

She says no. Shuji sees all this. He ends up getting an issue of Cosmopolitan from the library but is stopped by the woman in the kimono. It turns out she's his mother. She gives him a mysterious warning about people maybe finding out things about him due to the newspaper article, and that she's kept it from his father. Apparently Shuji's somewhat of a family disappointment since he didn't graduate from college, instead becoming a hair stylist. His mother won't stay to talk to him, other than to deliver the warning.

Kyoko and Sachi stop by the ramen cart to eat and Shuji arrives a short time later but sits by himself. Sachi leaves. Eventually he talks to her about what happened at the library cafeteria with his mother. He hadn't seen his mother in three years. His parents don't like him being a hair stylist. His family are all doctors except for him; he failed the entrance exams.

He asks her what her dreams are, but she says she doesn't have any dreams since she's in a wheelchair. She says she feels sorry for guys who date her since her wheelchair causes problems in cars, restaurants, etc. They talk some more and it's obvious that he can be nice when he wants to be. She later goes to the salon to return some sketches to him. He's not there and she gives them (unknowingly) to his main rival. He takes pictures of all the sketches.

Kyoko gets some food to take over to Shuji's but catches him with a woman from work (that he once dated.)