I have to give credit to Sae for actually trying to do what would be best for her in this situation. She doesn’t want to be stuck suffering from unrequited love, so she’s desperate to move on so it won’t hurt anymore. But the thing is, Koki clearly likes her. When Sae had tried to cover up from being found out, it sure looked like Koki was actually about to confess to her– but of course he was interrupted when their boat capsized. However he didn’t let it slide, and made it clear to her, that no matter what what happens, even if his crush doesn’t work out, he deeply values their friendship and he wants to protect that.
And that’s super important, because it was comforting to know that even though she thinks her love is unrequited, she cherishes their friendship too. It’s something that she doesn’t want to give-up after-all. Thanks to that, hopefully this may help her have a bit more of peace of mind, and perhaps actually start noticing where Koki’s eyes are actually looking (at her).
Actually in the matter-of-fact, this episode continuously showed us how just like how Sae has always been observing him, Koki has been doing the same towards her. We can even refer to that flashback she had, where she recalled the pain and scars of heartbreak and disappointment when she lost in tennis. Interestingly, it seems she didn’t notice at the time (though I wouldn’t fault her for it considering her mind was grieving the loss), that Koki had actually showed up to watch that match. It was out of focus, but we could clearly see someone with blond hair and a hat watching her match– and you can’t possibly tell me that wasn’t Koki!
Speaking of Koki, because he too has always been watching Sae, he was quick to notice she was actively trying to avoid him. Interestingly, while he always had a knack of seeing through her, this is probably the one time he’s not really able to because of his own fears of being rejected.
And the funny thing about that bit, Sae accidentally let it, “I like you too” slip out, and Koki was quite delighted to hear that. We saw he was blushing cutely after that. Actually I’d say that’s probably the cutest we’ve seen him since the first episode.
Overall though Sae’s still on that nostalgia train, at the very least it’s still acceptable at the moment because the context fits. Now that the two have finally “re-established” their friendship to be like how they were back in elementary, it’ll be very interesting to see how their dynamic is going to look now. Sae has been quite conscious not to be too close to him because of her feelings. But now that she’s trying to move past that, I wonder if this means we’ll see her be more relaxed around him where the two of them can be chum with each other again.
Another thing I liked a lot about this episode, was how much Sui and Mio had supported Sae today. Sui really understood the pain she was in, and was even crying on her behalf. Meanwhile Mio had her own way of trying to cheer them up, but spraying moisturizing mist, or stepping in to help when needed.
And finally, I think the nicest thing we saw was how Sae’s fellow classmates whom she has taken care of noticing she was not looking well. The ones seated near her on the bus had checked up on her, offering water and actively checked to make sure she was okay. With how kind she is to them, it was nice to see that in return when she’s feeling down.
Oh and last thing: That was one heck of an adventurous field-trip they went on haha!
Episode 5 entry will be released as a double-post next week!