Ooof, I knew things were going to be rough between Saku and Rintaro, but boy the mood in the classroom just turned super awkward when the celebratory mood turned tense like that. Even their classmates were didn’t know how to react because the shift happened so abruptly, they couldn’t figure out just how or even why Rintaro and Saku looked like they were fighting.
I completely understand why Saku is upset, so that’s why I don’t think anyone could blame him for it. He’s always looking out for Rintaro, but it hurts to see that it seems the trust between them is wholly one-sided. For him, Rintaro was the one who helped him fit into Chidori, which is why he really wants to be able to be there for him in return when he needs it. But that’s something Rintaro’s still working on, as he’s been moulded by terrible experiences that forced him to build this iron wall around his heart. Up until recently, he has never been able to trust nor feel comfortable enough with others to even consider opening up to them. He was always too worried about someone being dragged down by the negative perception people had on him, and as result of that, distanced himself so that they wouldn’t get hurt. Heck, we’re seeing that happening right now again! Ever since Subaru opened up about the potential consequences of Kaoruko hanging out with him, Rintaro has fallen back into that habit where he’s distancing himself because he’s unsure whether it’s safe to become close.
Needless to say it was physically painful to hear Rintaro tell the guys that he didn’t want to share any details on his relationship with Kaoruko, but following up with the above point, it’s natural why he instinctively reacted that way. Rintaro’s still in the midst of trying to grasp exactly what he and Kaoruko are to each other. Are they friends? Are they even able to be friends? Things are just extra messy and unnecessarily complicated all because of the tension between Chidori and Kikyo. As ridiculous as it is, Kaoruko could potentially get into trouble with her school just because she’s hanging out with someone that doesn’t meet their standards. Of course it’s still left to be seen whether this is actually an issue or not. It would be nice if Subaru was just overthinking it, but until it’s made clear that it’s not, it’s till up in the air.
Apart from that, it was good to see Shohei and Ayato were the level-headed ones in the mess, as they were very much the support system Rintaro and Saku needed. Although Rintaro had defensively lashed out at Ayato, he did apologize to him. But Ayato was never upset, he was more pleasantly surprised that for the first time, Rintaro voiced his true feelings instead of trying to sweep the issue under the rug. And for that reason, Ayato played an important role of someone who can see Rintaro’s slowly opening up to them, and reminding Saku they just need to be patient. Similarly, Sohei contributed to reminding Saku that Rintaro’s always looking out for others, but he probably has no idea (and he’s right about this) about Saku’s feelings.
We also really need to take a moment to appreciate the adults in this episode too. First the teacher, I’m so glad we actually saw him step in to diffuse the tension rather than let it escalate any further. It’s a small thing, but as crazy as it is, we hardly see adults intervene in this way in stories. More often than not, they are absent from the scene entirely! And of course, we have our MVP, Rintaro’s mother. God I love her, she’s great! It’s so nice to see such a healthy relationship between parent and child, where there’s clear communication and support system. She actually couldn’t believe that he passed his tests, but you know what? It wasn’t Rintaro passing that made her happiest, but the fact Rintaro didn’t give up. She knows all too well how much he has struggled as a kid, how much he had hurt to the point he had given up trying.
And finally Kaoruko! She showed up at the shop to reward herself for her studies, and also dressed nicely in case she saw Rintaro, heehee~, and she could see that Rintaro was feeling quite dispirited when she had wanted to give him a high-fives for passing his tests. So she really tried to suggest ways to help cheer him up, which worked out because the way she was explaining gave him a much needed laugh. And it was at that moment Rintaro fully understood what Subaru meant of how Kaoruko has this ability to clear the clouds in their hearts.
On that note, it looks like Subaru’s intends to come clean about the conversation she had with Rintaro. And frankly, it’s good that she isn’t trying to pretend or hide that she did. By doing so, this will give Kaoruko more context as to why Rintaro’s suddenly became more distanced to her. It’s about putting the ball back into Kaoruko’s court, as it always should have been since at the end of the day, she’s the one who needs to decide whether it’s a concern or not, and how she’d respond if such there’s any consequences from it.