Men are like fine wine. They start out as grapes, and it's up to the women to stomp the crap out of them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with.
Shimura Tae has always lived by that principle. And probably that is why no man has dared to ask Otae out.
Well, only one daring gorilla.
Kondo Isao has been stalking Otae ever since she said she will love her boyfriend, incompetent and all. He saw her as the unwavering Buddha, accepting of every flaw of mankind.
Unfortunately, the commander of Shinsengumi doesn't know when to quit, which lead to multiple (physically) painful rejections from the violent young woman. It is quite a sight since such a prestigious and well-known commander would actually hide under tables and even floorboards of the Shimura residence. He would boldly visit her in the brothel and ask her to marry him. Her obvious answer is a punch in the gorilla's face.
In a sense, it is reasonable to act this way. She is simply defending herself from possible heartache and emotional pain.
It's not that Otae want to be single for the rest of her life. She wanted a prestigious man who has a big heart, love her for who she is, and would never leave her side. Now you may think that the gorilla has fulfilled the criteria. He is a prestigious man who does have a big heart, does love her for who she is, and wouldn't leave her alone. In fact, he sticks to her like bubble gum at the bottom of her shoe. Sticking out like a sore thumb and annoying.
She knows she shouldn't be picky of men because all men are the basically the same. They're slobs, good-for-nothings. And to be honest, it's not that she doesn't like Kondo Isao. In fact, it would be pretty awesome since there would be hundreds of men bowing to her feet calling her 'Nee-san'. Basically she would be like a mafia boss's wife, except it's just. That power… isn't so bad.
But what stops her from accepting this gorilla is that his line of work puts his life in danger. It is the Shinsengumi's job to protect the city from terrorists. And even though Hijikata and Okita would give their life to protect their commander, it doesn't mean Kondo isn't in any danger. Kondo is like a naïve child, believing every word people say. That puts him in a disadvantageous position since he is easy to manipulate. But then again, that is also one of his advantages. His big heart attracts people to him. They are willing to give up their life for him.
Otae doesn't think that she will be able to accept this naivety just yet. She will continue to stomp of him like a grape, until he is acceptable to have dinner with.