Yuuta overhears from his friend Maru that there are rumors swirling about Saki selling herself. Mind you, it’s all hearsay, but the volume of said rumors have a way of generating a false veracity. Rather than heed Maru’s advise to stay away from Saki (Maru doesn’t know they’re now stepsiblings), Yuuta actually joins Saki in blowing off tennis. They learn they’re very much alike, not interested in relying on anyone or being relied on, whether it’s in team sports or life.
A simple gesture like Yuuta telling Saki “welcome home” has a lot more meaning for someone who almost never heard it (due to Saki and her mom having different schedules). This leads to Saki coming into Yuuta’s room to chat, and asks if he knows of any part-time jobs she could take on for extra money.
It’s here where he learns she’s not selling her body, though she’s well aware of those rumors and simply doesn’t care. Her looks and her wardrobe are her armor. Saki lists all the unfair labels and “dirty logic” people (mostly men) apply to various kinds of women due to their choices and circumstances. She intends to rise above all that and prove the haters wrong.
That said, no amount of armor will save you from Truck-kun, so it’s a good job Yuuta was just behind Saki on the way to school when she crossed the street with her headphones on. It’s not shown, but Yuuta saved her, and tells her it’s not cool for her to pull stuff like that. This, after Yuuta’s senpai at work told him that it’s okay to rely on someone if you need to.
During tennis, Saki casts a glance at Yuuta, though we don’t see their eyes meet. That afternoon it starts to rain, and Yuuta lends Saki his umbrella and gets soaked walking home. When he comes out of the shower, he finds Yuuta has invited her friend Maaya to their house. It’s a sign that Yuuta and Saki are growing closer and more comfortable with each other that she’d let someone from school find out about their situation.
Days sure doesn’t look like much, and indeed is muddy and/or washed out most of the time, and the addition of texture filters to certain scenes doesn’t help matters. Even so, there’s an inscrutable appeal to watching these two evolve from cool cordiality to more genuine warmth and care as they learn more about each other, and themselves.
