It’s almost Christmas, so that means it’s almost time for the Festival of Lights, and the class is going to throw a Christmas party. Tradition states that if you share food with the person you like, your love will be realized. So, Ida and Aoki give Hashimoto a center shove to take a chance and confess again to Akkun. Flipping through her cookbook, Akkun tells her how delicious he thinks it would be if she makes cupcakes.

Aoki daydreaming about telling Ida to eat his cake

After class, Aoki and Hashimoto have a conversation about his and Ida’s relationship. She’s excited that the two of them have held hands, but now Aoki is worried about what comes next. The kiss – and he’s unsure what Ida will think, or how he will feel, about it. Ida’s feelings are the most important thing to Aoki.
During lunch, Aoki and Ida talk about how cold the weather is turning. Ida offers for them to have lunch together in class, but Aoki rejects the idea. He doesn’t want rumors to get started about them.

Ida doesn’t understand why Aoki worries so much, Aoki doesn’t understand why Ida doesn’t worry more. Aoki reflects on the moments he’s shared with Ida so far. He’s happy about how far they’ve come. But, just as they’re about to share their first kiss, the two are interrupted.

Once again, Aoki is worried about what people will think. So, to make him feel more comfortable, Ida asks Aoki out on a Sunday date, away from the school, where he won’t have to worry. Aoki tries to play it off, but he’s excited.

The date is incredibly sweet and invokes a ride in the air cabins above Yokohama, a walk in the park, and a movie. The movie, which is about a pup named Pochi, who reminds Ida and Aoki of Id’s dog Mametaro, is something Aoki thinks is a light-hearted comedy. It is not. Pochi dies. To help him feel better, Ida invites Aoki over to hangout, and see Mametaro. The two end up playing video games to gather, and enjoying an afternoon alone until Aoki spills his tea on Ida.

Holding hands in the park

Ida starts to take off his shirt, which embarrasses Aoki, so he covers his eyes and turns around to wait for Ida to change. Ida does, quickly, but the teases Aoki by making him think he hasn’t. Aoki gets upset and accuses Ida of not taking his emotions seriously. After storming from the house, Aoki, confused by his feelings, doesn’t even think Ida wants to be a couple, which he confesses to Akkun and Hashimoto after they both notice the coldness and distance between him and Ida. Hashimoto brings him to the Home Economics club so that he can bake a cake for Ida, so that way he can find out how he really feels.

No! No! Put your abs away!

After volleyball practice, Shun walks up to Ida and pulls him away from the crowd. Once they are alone, he confesses that he knows that the two of them are in a relationship. But he asks Ida if he entered into the relationship knowing if he liked Aoki or not. Ida has a problem with just kind of going with it. That’s how he got Mametaro (he found him in a box on the side of the road) and how he joined the volleyball club (because they didn’t have enough team members), and while both those things are important to him now, Shun makes sure he realizes that his relationship with Aoki is different. Aoki is in love with him and he wants to make sure Ida isn’t dating him out of petty.

Shun offers Ida advice.

After his school activities, Ida, taking a moment to think about Aoki and reflect on what Shun said, is approached by the rest of the volleyball team. They saw him and Aoki holding hands and ask him point blank if the two of them are a couple.

When I first watched this episode, it was my least favorite. I really felt like Aoki was overreacting, and he should could Ida some slack. It turns out I was projecting, because the more I thought about it, the more I recalled doing something very similar to one of my first boyfriends that I had in high school. Puberty is hard and hormones are confusing and when we’re young, everything is life or death. This time around, since I was watching more closely, I really empathized with Aoki, and better understood how Ida felt too. Again, the realistic nature of the progression of their relationship is so well done.

10/10. No notes.

Will Ida and Aoki get back together? Will Hashimoto and Akkun finally cross the borders of the friend zone? There’s only one episode of My Love Mix-Up left so…

Stay Tuned!