04
Ai gets a panic attack and flees the scene, leaving Sarasa alone with the "stalker," Mikiya Kitaouji. But, getting tired of handing Ai's bag to Sarasa, Mikiya crumples down and sobs. He says that he's not there to harass her, but to apologize, claiming responsibility for Ai's expulsion from JPX. Taichi-sensei popped out of nowhere and heard the "stalker's" story. He tells them that Ai is the reason why he got out of his NEET lifestyle. He held on to Ai's hand a bit longer during a meet-and-greet event, causing her to call him a creep, which really hurt him. He hears that Ai was forced to graduate without much fanfare (read as "kicked out") as a result of what happened some time later. Taichi clarified a few things: first, Ai doesn't hate Mikiya in particular; and, second, she wasn't attached to JPX at all. Meanwhile, feeling guilty leaving Sarasa alone with the "stalker," Ai goes looking for her. Upon finding them in the same spot, her worries get replaced by hatred when she sees them dancing together. Ai get into a spat with Sarasa the next night, and skipped class the next day. Sarasa is confronted on that same day by her upperclassmen about a photo (taken by Hijiri chancing upon them) of her with a guy circulating on social media, given the strictness of their school rules. Denying that he is her boyfriend and mentioning that Taichi-sensei was with them, she rushes out, finally knowing where she is. She is able to locate her exact location with information from Mikiya, that she could be near the ocean, as usual when sad, and that means she could be near the harbor. And they got to her just in time as they see two men harassing her. Mikiya came to make the save. Taichi and Sarasa arrived later, and she screamed the loudest scream she could manage, calling the attention of two nearby cops, and scaring the harassers away. Ai went to where Mikiya was, thanking him and apologizing. He leaves with a little souvenir from Ai, saying he will be waiting to see her on the Kouka stage one day. On the way to the dorm, Ai asks Sarasa how she could forget something she can't. Because Sarasa's back is turned on her, she does not know her emotions at the time, but she hears from her that all she would do is cover them with more good memories. As they faced double the amount of morning cleaning from their upperclassmen, Ayako Yamada's "dieting" gets closer to going out of control. (Source: Wikipedia)
7/25/2021
