Makio has finally finished clearing out her late sister’s apartment. She thinks it’s a little strange that she doesn’t feel sadder about the whole affair. Outside of society’s expectations, I don’t think it’s that weird. They weren’t close anymore, and they haven’t been close for years. Easily over a decade, actually. And it’s perhaps for that same reason that the woman can’t quite bring herself to read her late sister’s journal. Honestly, I don’t know why she would. They’re practically strangers at this point, so it feels like a violation of their privacy, dead or not. And from the first few words alone, you can tell that the journal was meant for Asa.

Makio’s reasoning goes a little further. She has two problems. First, she never really did understand why her sister started hating her. As a result, reading her late sister’s words of love and affirmation for her daughter might feel like a dagger to Makio’s heart. Obviously, you can understand why a mother would accept her daughter for who the latter is wholeheartedly. But why couldn’t she do the same for her sister? Second, Makio sadly feels as though she never would’ve become a writer without using her hate for sister as a motivating factor. That’s… sad if it’s true. I can understand feeling more determined to prove your sister wrong, but having it be the primary reason? Then what’s keeping you going now?

Speaking of Asa, she and Makio get into another domestic dispute again. In just half a day, Makio manages to turn a clean apartment back into a pigsty, so I totally get Asa’s frustrations. I’d be annoyed, too. I don’t understand how anyone can stand living like this. Unfortunately, a bit of her mother comes out when Asa scolds Makio, which inadvertently dredges up plenty of unpleasant feelings. It’s tricky. On the one hand, when you agree to live with someone, you have to compromise a little. Even if we accept her excuse that her mind is constantly busy, Makio’s complete inability to pick up after herself is a bit ridiculous. A montage of various people lightly scolding her makes it seem like the woman has trouble coping with any sort of structure or expectation. If it’s that bad, then maybe she needs to seek help for it. If she’s this troubled now, it’s only going to get worse as her mental faculties slow down with age. Hey, it happens to everyone. At the same time, however, Makio didn’t have to take Asa in. She didn’t have to provide a roof over her niece’s head. It does feel a little ungrateful to yell at your aunt. Makio’s bad habits aren’t going to change overnight (assuming they can change at all). Asa could stand to be a bit more patient.

Asa’s reaction to her aunt is interesting, because it suggests that she expects and accepts a baseline of conflict. In other words, it’s okay to argue like this and not get upset. This is normal for her, so she doesn’t get why Makio would have her head in her hands. Asa might look and sound mad, but it’s not that serious. She’s used to a certain dynamic from being raised by her mother, and she’s only now learning that it’s different with everyone. I wouldn’t have a mini-breakdown like Makio, but I also don’t tolerate any form of yelling in my home. If you can’t discuss things calmly, then we can’t live together.

Makio lose track of the days, so she’s surprised to see Emiri at her door. At the same time, why is Emiri here when Asa isn’t? I would not be comfortable being in my friend’s home without them there. Maybe it’s a thing with extroverts. Outta nowhere, Emiri wants to know why Makio isn’t married? Uh, isn’t that a rude question to ask? She follows this up by asking whether or not Makio even has a love interest. I’m just surprised Makio is even answering the girl. All this talk about love, however, leads to Makio reminiscing over the first time she met Kasamachi. Maybe feeling nostalgic, maybe feeling sentimental, Makio types out a text — an invitation for drinks — to Kasamachi that she doesn’t intend to send. But in fiction, all unintended texts get sent. Sorry, but I don’t make up the rules. So of course, an incoming call from that lawyer “jump scares” Makio, which causes her to accidentally send the text. I’ve never ever had this happen in real life. Never. I know that’s anecdotal evidence, but c’mon, is this really a thing?

Well, the “date” happens, and Makio is surprised that she finds Kasamachi so attractive. I think she’s just been cooped up in her apartment for so long, she switched her sexual desires off. And now, she’s like a wanderer in a desert seeing water for the first time in a long time. All of a sudden, she feels thirstier than ever, which we can clearly see from one of the many bickering voices in her head.

After the dinner, Kasamachi goes in for a kiss, and a part of Makio really, really wants it until a loud car stirs her out of her trance. Makio takes most of the responsibility for their breakup, so she doesn’t want to hurt Kasamachi again. As a result, she’s hesitant to reignite old flames. Without knowing exactly how she hurt him, there’s little that I can say. In a sense, I agree with her stance. There’s a reason why the relationship failed in the first place. Unless you fix said reason, you’ll likely repeat the same mistakes again. But this time, she and Kasamachi might not remain as friends. So why risk it?

Well, you risk it, because Kasamachi might be the one. Granted, I don’t believe in true love and all that fated one nonsense. But even after all this time, he seems to still carry a torch for Makio. No matter what happens between them, he doesn’t want to lose their connection. And judging by her living habits and career, it’s not like she has plenty of opportunities to meet people. In spite of everything, Kasamachi is still here. This doesn’t mean she should throw herself at someone just because she has no other options, but unless there’s some weird 11th hour twist about him being an abuser, Kasamachi seems like an overall good dude.

Kasamachi is very much one of those “let’s go with the flow” kinda guy, so he’s just like “If you just wanna be friends, that’s fine. If you wanna bang, that’s fine too. Whatevs.” This is only what we see on the surface, though. I wonder how he really feels internally. In the end, he gets his kiss and maybe more, so he can’t feel too bad about how everything is going. We, however, will have to wait a week to see if Makio regrets this night or not.

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Stray thoughts & observations:

• Can tea expire? I just assume they would lose their flavor. Maybe that’s what she meant.
• Sometimes, you just crave some cheap, ratchet ass food. It’s not good for the body, but it’s so soul satisfying. Unfortunately, they’re scared to cook with MSG here, so I always have to add a pinch of it myself. Fuck it, I’ll get some takeout for tonight.
• A love story just called “Tomatoes?” And the cover with nothing but a green tomato on it? Okay…
• Emiri’s a lesbian, right? I kinda remember her telling Asa that she likes girls in a previous episode, but I can’t quite remember if this actually happened or not. But Makio gets that sense from the girl, which is why she says, “No matter who you fall in love with, or who you don’t…” Emiri also remarked earlier, “It’s not that I don’t want to [get married], but…” I believe same sex marriage still isn’t officially recognized in Japan.
• What is she wearing for a necklace? Just a rope?
• I’m not exactly sure what they mean by “pampered” in this context. Because Kasamachi takes care of himself? Because he tries to look presentable? Apparently, that lawyer also “seemed pretty pampered too.” It just makes me think the two men have their shit together, because they clearly do.
• Speaking of which, why is the lawyer talking to Makio about her novels and asking her why one would need “storytelling” in their lives? It just feels oddly personal.