Man I was pretty anxious when Gotou met Sayu, but I think their conversation went a lot better than expected. Like they did with Asami, Yoshida had originally tried to weave the truth and lies together, but Gotou saw through it and was finally told the truth. When they first started talking, it felt awkward and somewhat tense, and even Yoshida didn’t seem to know how to ease it apart by briefly stepping away so the girls can have a moment to talk without him present. He was even anxious about leaving her alone with Gotou when Sayu asked him for some time for a private talk between the two of them, but luckily it panned out better than I thought it would.
I was nervous about how Gotou was going to go about the matter. With the way the conversation was going, I was mostly worried about the possibility of pressuring her to get out the door, but instead it came across as a more earnest talk about about how Sayu needs to start thinking about how she plans to move forward from here on out. It was a conversation that Yoshida’s friend had also been urging him to have with her, so it’s something that was bound to happen sooner or later, it’s just that Gotou was the one to initiate it with Sayu first.
And perhaps it was a good thing to have an outsider like Gotou have this conversation with her. I think Gotou went about the subject in an appropriate way. She asked the same questions Yoshida had asked her when they first met, didn’t press her when she didn’t want to tell he her reasons, and then simply laid out the reality of Sayu’s situation, explaining why she needs to really start thinking about what she wants to do next with her life. It was a conversation Sayu has been both avoiding and hoping to have with someone, so I think that played a big part in why she felt comfortable enough to open up to Gotou about how she had survived as a runaway.
Their conversation also reminded her how she needs to confront the things that had just haunted her earlier, contributing to strengthening her resolve to eventually return home to face her past. And it won’t be just for her sake, but Yoshida’s as well because he could get into some serious trouble just for taking care of her.
But as Gotou has assured her, she can take her time in figuring that out. She is now in a safe place where she has the opportunity to properly do so. And if needed, she now has another person she can turn to as Gotou has exchanged numbers with her. That said, I am curious whether we will ever actually see Sayu seek out Gotou for advice or things she feels she can’t discuss with Yoshida. I do hope we will get the chance to see the two of them having some sisterly-bonding time together. It would be nice to see that.
That was also why I was happy to see after their serious discussion and Sayu had a good cry, the two of them were actually able to talk at ease with one another. It was cute to see Sayu ask her about wheter Gotou loves Yoshida because it was quite endearing how protective she is of his heart. She witnessed the heartbreak, and she wants him to be happy. That said, Gotou isn’t stupid and she definitely noticed that Sayu is growing affections towards Yoshida. Whether it’s familial love or romantic love, she knows she isn’t being completely honest with her feelings.
Gotou also picked up on the fact Sayu is bottling up her true feelings. That’s why when she was talking with Yoshida, she described Sayu to be unstable and is someone who doesn’t understand herself. She recognizes that Sayu’s emotions are ticking timebomb of a sorts, and there’s no telling what kind of feelings might burst out when it happens. And she is right about that. Last week we saw how Sayu is having a difficult time coping and facing her past, and there are things she doesn’t want to share with others just yet, but it’s just a matter of time before her bottled up feelings finally explode. However when it does happen, Gotou has faith Yoshida will be able to handle it.
Meanwhile the girls were having their talk, Yoshida ended up running into Mishima and had a chat with her… Only because it turned out she was FREAKING STALKING HIM THE ENTIRE EVENING. SHEESH!!!! She was already starting to rub me the wrong way in the recent weeks, but today’s behavior made her plainly unlikable.
The only legitimate point Mishima brought up in this entire conversation was how she she feels Yoshida may not be truely in love with Gotou, but more of a mix of real love and admiration. This is something I have been wondering a lot about too because I am not entirely convinced right now that Yoshida was and still is truly in love with her. I think a lot of it has to do with the lack of understanding how he fell for her, and what is it he loves about her besides her physique. After-all he totally botched his confession by asking her to go back to his place first before actually telling her that he has been in love with her for the past five years. But that’s it. Nothing more. She lost me she started chucking her jealousy and frustration at him. It’s none of her business what his priorities are, and it frustrated the hell out of me when she said, if she were in his position, she would hide Sayu in order to date (aka: kick her out). At that I wanted to scream, “HE ISN’T YOU!!!!!!!!!” And frankly being transparent about it is better than hiding because sheesh, it would only amount of ridiculous misunderstandings and unnecessary burden on everyone. I also really disliked how she said being too nice won’t get him what he wants. Seriously, bugger off. Sure there are things that apply to that, but this isn’t one of them. Right now, Yoshida is earnestly committed to taking care of Sayu, and if he wants to pursue love while doing so, he is allowed to do so! And if If that person cares about him, then they will understands and respect the commitment he is making. And gee, guess who did that today? GOTOU!
Just to be clear, not I’m cheering for Gotou (in fact I’m not rooting for anyone in particular at this time), but I respect the fact she isn’t pressuring Sayu to get out the door. Now that she has been told about the situation and how Sayu got by until now, she is glad that Sayu has a safe place to be, and most importantly, she recognizes Sayu is a part of Yoshida’s life right now. It also says a lot how she actually sees Yoshida for who he is. Frankly, this is the biggest contrast between Gotou’s and Mishima’s feelings towards Yoshida. That said, I pray Gotou doesn’t do something that will make me want to rip my hair out because I want to see Sayu have more supportive people around her outside of Yoshida.
This was another great episode this week, but boy we better buckle up because while Sayu has made her resolve to face her past, unfortunately it looks like she will be facing one of her most recent ones very soon– at her new job no less. It appears the same guy in her memories (the one who called her Miyuki) is a fellow employee, but the two haven’t met yet because their shifts haven’t lined up. I’m dreading it, but I expected something like this to happen sooner or later… Geh. I’m dreading this reunion.
