While Alya relaxes at home with her big sister Maria (AKA Masha), talk turns to Masachika, whom Masha assumes Alya likes since she always seems so intense while talking about him. Alya insists they’re just friends, though it took Masachika confirming it for her to even think that way.
We go back six years ago to Vladivostok and an Alya who is isolated by her overachieving. Those in her assigned group don’t take their class project seriously, so she misses out on an award. When she transfers to a fancy middle school in Japan, she soon finds there are slackers there, too.
But while her desk neighbor Masachika seems to be simply one more of those slackers, he comes through when it counts, saving her hours of sewing alone (and the needle pricks that come with them) by enlisting the aid of the handicrafts club and motivating the guys to impress the girls by working hard.
While Alya initially insists that she has to put maximum effort in everything she does, or what’s the point, Masachika tells her she’s using her effort wrong. The whole point of the school festival is for everyone to find a way to work together and enjoy an unforgettable shared experience.
Thanks to Masachika, the class is motivated, their haunted house is a smash, and they even win the award for best class attraction. Afterwards, Alya takes a break from turning down guys who want to dance with her to sit beside a solitary Masachika.
She thanks him for showing her that she didn’t have to toil alone, and apologizes for snapping at him, then insists on giving him a reward for his help. It comes as a complete surprise to her that all he asks for is permission to call her by her Russian nickname, Alya. When more guys arrive, he saves her from them by taking her by the hand, then asks for a dance.
It’s a shame we don’t see that dance, but at least the OP features them dancing, which is always a good move if you’re making a romance anime. Back in the present, Maria, having heard all of this from Alya, is now convinced her sister likes this guy, even if she doesn’t know it yet.
In fact, Masachika reminds Masha of her own first love, “Sa-chan,” opening a locket to reveal a concealed photo of a boy whose hair looks a lot like Masachika’s. The little girl’s hair was different in the flashback because it was Masha, not Alya, with whom who Masachika was friends.
Masha herself realizes this, and when Masachika is lost in thought thinking about how his mother and sister split from him and his father, she feels compelled to comfort him and ease the pain she can clearly see in his face, because she knows this boy from way back.
That said, there’s also a bittersweetness to Masha’s interactions with Masachika, as she’s now aware that her dear little sister has finally found love, and it’s likely the same boy she loved. Combined with Alya not knowing Yuki is Masachika’s actual sister, this show is getting messy in the very best way, and continuing to look absolutely fantastic while doing it!
