The slow, soft slipper shuffle of family life in the Asamura-Ayase household proceeds apace. Saki’s mom tells her she’s thinking of going to both her and Yuuta’s parent-teacher meetings, but wanted to ask first. When they discuss it over dinner Yuuta made, he and Saki are of one mind on this: they’re fine with the rest of the school discovering they’re stepsiblings if it means her mom won’t have to take two shifts off.
That Yuuta thinks the same way makes Saki very happy, just when she’s trying to keep a lip on her feelings for him. Of course, no matter how close they’re growing as brother and sister, she doesn’t realize Yuuta is doing the exact same thing with her. So while both are happy that their living situation is so hunky-dory, there’s that underlying pressure bred from their efforts to repress their feelings.
Setting aside the fact that stepsiblings becoming a couple would be problematic, above all neither of them want to cause trouble for the other, or for their folks. They may feel the same way for each other, but both are determined to maintain the status quo and not rock the boat.
They may not even feel different even if they knew the other liked them. For now, Yuuta is glad Saki is socializing more. One of her male classmates clearly likes her and is trying to find an opportunity to spend time with her.
Then there’s Yuuta, who has his bookstore senpai Shiori but doesn’t seem to see her as a potential romantic partner, even when she invites him to her women’s college open campus. She also seems capable of seeing through the trouble just below his calm facade. If they’re to be just friends, she wants to be someone who can cheer him up.
As for the introduction of the very tall Fujinami Kaho, your guess is as good as mine. The two have a thoroughly cordial conversation and introduction at the bookstore, and she’s voiced by Frieren’s seiyu with a offbeat dreaminess, which is fun. I’m also a sucker for red eyes!
I have to think Kaho went through the trouble of talking to Yuuta more than she had to for a reason. Back home, Saki leaves dinner out for Yuuta along with a personalized note, and considers both actions as evidence she neither wants nor needs to cut herself off from him completely.
Neither Saki nor Yuuta want to have any regrets about how they handled things, and that lingering doubt is the reason I can’t consider the door closed on them persuing something beyond their hastily established brother-sister relationship. Instead, the door is merely cracked. Anything could get in!
