It’s not gonna happen, man. Some things are just never meant to be.

— Maki sees his mom showing Umi an album of his younger days. I never understand why people get so embarrassed of these photos. What’s so bad about them? But then he smiles when he looks at Umi in the eye, so maybe he isn’t actually embarrassed? It was just performative? Shrug.

— Speaking of which, I actually don’t have any photos from my youth. When my biological father left, he grabbed them all. I don’t know what the point was if he was never going to reach out again. People can be so unfathomable.

— Two things: Maki really needs to get to the bottom of why his mom works so much. I thought it was to pay the bills, but last week’s episode confirms that his father pays for them to live comfortably. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t still need to work, but why is she putting in so many hours? Why does she rarely get to see her own son? So busy that it’s affecting her health. Second, smoking is such a nasty habit. He should really get her to quit.

— Aw, Yuu is a dummy. That’s not attractive. Also, Umi is always so handsy with her friends.

— Wow, this guy is still around… what’s his name again? All I remember is that he has a crush on Yuu. I thought he would be a one and done character. If he still likes her (which he probably does), then is this hang-out a good idea? Isn’t he just prolonging his suffering? I’m all for being friends, but it sounds like he’s still holding out hope.

— So violent.

— Flirting during a study session? For shame! Honestly, I don’t care. Other than the part where she initiated it, because Yuu asked Maki for help. Feels a bit possessive.

— Wait, what is that on the pancake? A huge chunk of sweetened cream?

— Yuu inadvertently twists the dagger by going on and on about how she wishes she had a guy like Maki. The other guy is right there! He literally confessed to you! But maybe it isn’t inadvertent. Maybe she’s sending a clear signal.

— So dramatic. Has Maki ever done anything to suggest he would ever choose Yuu over her? They literally held hands under the kotatsu. That’s like double married for anime characters.

— Friday rolls around, so it’s time to have a dinner date with father. Umi jokingly suggests coming along because Maki and his dad will be hitting up a “kinda fancy place.” Really? This is “kinda fancy?”

— Looks like a cheap diner to me.

— Oof, that’s a hefty price tag, though. I can’t remember the last time I had beef. Have you seen beef prices lately? I ain’t no oil baron!

— Maki wants to know if his father still loves his mother. Hm. I feel like he’s just setting himself up for disappointment. Maki’s father replies that he doesn’t “feel that way anymore,” but it wouldn’t really matter what he said. Even if he did still harbor feelings for his ex-wife, that doesn’t mean they can be together. Clearly, they tried and it didn’t work.

— His father denies cheating on his mom, but his phrasing is suspect: “I swear to you, we only started meeting outside of work long after your mother and I divorced.” So… what happened during work? He could have emotionally cheated, especially with those long work hours. As they say, the grass is greener where you water it. Bro was a workaholic. Bro didn’t spend enough time with his wife (or his kid).

— This “kinda fancy place” looks kinda empty. There’s just one other person there, and it coincidentally happens to be the third friend that rarely gets any screentime. Well, excellent timing on her outburst, ’cause it looks like Maki and his father were about to get into an argument.

— Nitta’s boyfriend bailed on her, so she can’t pay for her meal. Maki’s father offers to foot the bill, but Maki insists on doing it instead. It sounds like he wants to cut his father off, because his dreams of putting his family back together has been shattered. I dunno, this is a difficult situation to judge. If his father did cheat — even if only emotionally — then I’d find it hard to forgive him, too. In fact, I wouldn’t. All cheaters are scum. But there’s always a chance the old man is telling the truth — that he and Maki’s mother simply fell out of love.

— At the same time, however, Maki asked his mom the other night, and her answer seems to imply that she still has lingering feelings for her ex-husband. In that light, I guess it makes sense why Maki is putting all of the blame on his father. But you have to look at the bigger picture and realize that them being together doesn’t guarantee happiness. We already know that the relationship failed. Why would it not fail again? Why would the second go-around be any better? Just try harder? Just love harder? Relationships don’t work that way. Granted, I do think Maki’s father working long hours may have played a large role in his marriage falling apart, but again, unless Maki can convince the guy to just stop caring so much about his career, then nothing will change. You can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results.

— Wow, talk about TMI.

— This girl is just a loose cannon. Her advice about Maki opening up to Umi isn’t bad, but the delivery is just a bit… trashy.

— Near the end of the episode, Maki’s mother confesses that she’s going to take some time off, because at her current rate, she would’ve broken down. Huh, did she come to that realization on her own? The main character doesn’t even have to do anything? Maybe he’s been too focused on assigning blame on his father rather than helping his mother heal. Of course, he’s a kid so this shouldn’t really be his responsibility. But he’s in this mess now, so just some food for thought.

— That’s what I’m saying, bro! Such a nasty, expensive habit.

— Umi then drops a bombshell: her father wants to meet him. Ah, just get it over with. If you’re serious about the girl, it’s gotta happen anyway.

— Every week, I feel like the show’s title gets dumber and dumber. Imagine ten or twenty years down the line, and Maki is introducing his wife to others. “Oh, who’s this?” “This is my wife, the second prettiest girl back in high school!”