After last week’s blockbuster, this was a bit of a breather episode (or calm before the storm, depending on your perspective). The beach/inn events are kind of a reset button for Chinatsu and Taiki. But not a fast-forward button (which is something Blue Box pretty much never uses). Unless you count sleeping in a chair there hasn’t been a literal confession or declaration of intent there from either side, which still leaves ambiguity hovering in the air. After their apologies the tension between them has definitely subsided to a large degree, but some awkwardness remains in its wake.

In point of fact the literal distance between them is about to increase, as Chinatsu’s mother has returned to Japan to look after her ailing father for a month. That means Chinatsu is going to live with her, depriving both kids of something they’ve come to depend on (seeing each other every morning). And Haryuu-senpai doesn’t help by making Taiki go running and skip morning practice in the gym, which Chi was late to after taking the wrong train from here new temporary apartment.

Still, when the pair of them get together the romantic tension in the air is as thick as drones in a New Jersey sky. The culture fest is coming up, and Taiki’s duties as class rep take him to Chinatsu’s classroom (in which she’s conveniently the only one present). There’s a lot of wistful talk here about their age difference, which remains a more formidable obstacle between them than one might realize. Chinatsu muses that it’s too bad Taiki isn’t in the same grade, as they would be neighbors in class and sharing an experience they can’t in real life. She even jokingly suggests he skip a grade, but the implication is clear that she wishes that were really possible.

Later, Chi comes across Taiki giving an impromptu badminton lesson to one of the junior high division students. You can bet she really does like the sound of “Inomata-senpai”, as much as she repeats it. They go back and forth about his height – he’s already taller than she is and at 15, is certainly not finished growing. This is all incredibly sweet and charming, but again there’s that undercurrent in the air – “if only”. Chinatsu’s line of conversation reveals that she really is concerned about the difference in their ages, and aware of how much easier things would be if they were in the same grade.

Meanwhile Taiki’s class is putting on a reworking of Snow White, with Hina in the lead. “Nosy” Kyou asks her if things are OK after what was surely a failed confession to Taiki. Later they have a conversation about the play (he disapproves of the romance angle) and Hina asks Kyou if there’s anyone he likes. He’ll only allow that he does like someone but she “got a boyfriend”. In case it wasn’t already obvious it should be obvious now that Kyou has feelings for her, but as is the way of romcoms most of the attractions in Blue Box are one-sided.

As for what happens at the close of the episode, it’s certainly a provocative moment. I’m well aware that Hina is quite a fan favorite and in their eyes, she can do no wrong. For my part, it’s not okay for Hina to be actively trying to break up Taiki and Chinatsu before they’ve ever really gotten started. That’s not something a friend would do, regardless of their own feelings. One may try to ascribe Hina confessing her confession to Chinatsu at the copier to other motives, but that’s patently absurd given her pattern of behavior already. She knows Chinatsu is hesitant based on her own history with Taiki, and is doing her best to exploit it as a wedge between them. All’s fair in love and war I suppose, and cute girl armor pretty thick with anime audiences…