Miki met Minato when she was down in the dumps and having trouble making friends, so a pattern is emerging. Basically, she should be wise to his antics. For whatever reason, he likes to chat up all the lonely people. Maybe Yota is right in that he pities them. But what happens afterward? Does Minato stay in touch with his “patients?” Or does he drop them once he can’t look like a savior to them? The latter would explain why Miki looks so bothered about Minato’s clumsy attempts to befriend Koyuki. I just wish she would say something to her friend.

Is this story going to feature a love triangle, square, or any polygon for that matter? Who knows? But Minato already seems to be jumping to conclusions. Why is he so fixated on Koyuki anyway? And why so soon? Hell, he just recently got dumped, so he’s had a girlfriend this whole time. You can of course befriend the opposite sex regardless of your relationship status, but his jealousy over Koyuki and Giraffe Boy would suggest something more. So what’s his deal?

From the looks of it, Koyuki, our protagonist, was bullied and teased relentlessly in elementary and middle school. She was even ostracized because a girl got jealous. Even now, jerks will target her (though this will likely happen to any girl or woman just trying to mind her business in public). As a result, she has developed a defense mechanism; she projects an icy exterior that keeps others away. I’m glad the series decided to literally show us what the rampart might look like. Y’know, just in case the metaphor hasn’t sunk in.