Quick Note: The images were having some loading problems so I had to re-upload/repost. The last time this happened it needed time to just iron itself out. So please give it some time, thanks for understanding.
Whelp, looks like sifting through the snow and sitting out in the cold two hours every morning finally caught up to Saki! So no kiss for them because he passed out before he could follow through with it. And instead of doing the class-shoujo trope of nurturing the other back to health, Hotaru did the sensible thing thing and contacted his family, (most likely his grandmother) to let her know that he was sick before heading home.
Though it was thanks to this little hiccup that it prompted Saki to set himself straight with a policy not to touch Hotaru without her permission. He had thought the incident had scared her, though luckily for him, it wasn’t so much of fear, but she was mostly just confused and a bit flustered by the whole thing. I will say, she was surprisingly level-headed given the position they were in. And in the end, rather than being caught up thinking about that, Hotaru spent the next few days fretting over how tactless it was of her to suggest they kiss to figure out her feelings. It didn’t help that he was completely out of commission due to his fever, so he wasn’t able to respond right away, and when he did, she missed several calls because her phone didn’t notify her. Luckily for Hotaru though, Saki took the matter into his own hands to narrow down where she could possibly be to uphold their promise to spend Christmas Eve together. And honestly, I would say the best thing he’s done so far.
When you think about it, it’s a sad how Hotaru never stopped to think about her own birthday, let alone even think to mention it to him. She has just been going with the flow of the things that have become a routine for her every year. Christmas with the family, going to her little sister’s skating recital, friends are all out either on trips or dates. She can’t remember the last time she’s been treated as special on her birthday, so it’s no wonder Saki’s determination and efforts to make sure he celebrates that with her was really heartwarming to see. And the fact Hotaru teared up just goes to show up much it meant to her to be the princess for the day for an exchange.
Although December 24th marked the final day of their dating trial, Hotaru was not quite ready for it to end, so she asked for an extension. Fortunately Saki’s more than okay with waiting a little longer for her to come to terms with her own feelings. And I liked the way Saki put it, referring to their extension as an “unlimited overtime” game, which basically means they will continue with their slow-burn dating approach until said otherwise.
And for that exact reason, removing the time limit is a good thing since we know for sure that Hotaru’s definitely making progress! The next step is being able to connect the dots with her budding feelings, rather than constantly perceiving it as an outsider watching in. Remember, she has this seed of doubt rooted deep within her heart that she’s even capable of understanding what it feels like to be in love. And we saw a part of that trauma that contributes to that self-doubt from a past incident where she failed to understand how a friend felt, and she wasn’t able to apologize before they drifted apart. That’s why, as mentioned last week, the biggest thing Hotaru needs right now is time for those feelings to be given a chance to properly blossom. Once they do, she’ll be able to understand she too is capable of being and experiencing love.
Lastly before we wrap up, while we’re on the topic what it means to experience love, Saki shared today why he fell for Hotaru in the first place. The list of things he said that made her special were all things that most people (and Hotaru included) considers be normal, and yes, by all means it should be. But if we consider the nature of the relationships he has had up until now (which includes his parents), it’s no wonder why she had captured his heart. The more he gets to know her, the more he falls for her, and that is sweet to see.
