Aoi Hana 4

In the quiet library at Matsuoka Girls High School, a gentle breeze blowing though the open window, Fumi and Yasuko’s lips meet for a romantic, gentle kiss.

After their lips part, Yasuko asks Fumi if she felt nervous. When the bespectacled girl admits that she was, Yasuko reveals she felt uncertain too. Surprised at her upperclassman’s revelation, Fumi says that she is usually the uncertain one.

Smiling, Yasuko asks Fumi to travel to school together from now on.

The next morning, Fumi takes the time to braid her hair before enthusiastically heading to the train station where she’s to meet Yasuko.

Arriving at the station, Fumi is startled when she spots both Yasuko and Akira there, she forgot all about her promise to her childhood friend about commuting to school together.
The girls don’t seem to mind though as they happily chat on the train, save for Fumi who seems to be troubled by having both of them there.

After Akira parts ways with Fumi and Yasuko to head to her own school, Fumi reveals she’s not going to travel to school together with Yasuko anymore.

Although Yasuko says she didn’t mean to intrude, she does feel that it’s somewhat childish for them to not travel together simply because Akira is there and the bold girl states she will give up on going to school with Fumi in the mornings only if Fumi walks home with her after class.
Sighing, Yasuko says girls are quite troublesome.

At school, Kyouko tells Akira that Kou, to whom Akira was introduced during their double date took an interest in the twin tailed girl and would like to see her again.
However Akira passes, revealing to her classmate that she doesn’t feel ready yet to go out with an adult.

Later that day, Akira is sent into town to pick up supplies for the theater club’s upcoming plays.
Working in the club room, Kyouko overhears one of the senior members talk to their teacher and club adviser Masanori Kagami about Yasuko, who agreed to perform in one Fujigatani’s plays even though she now attends Matsuoka.

Intrigued, Kyouko heads after Kagami, asking the teacher if he perhaps knows why Yasuko so suddenly transferred away to Matsuoka, for she never revealed her reasonwhy to Kyuoko. Kagami answers that he doesn’t know either.

Having waited for Akira by the school gates, Fumi and her childhood friend head into a cafe, where Akira tries to re-assure the bespectacled girl she mustn’t mind about traveling to school together with Yasuko.
Being stubborn, Fumi retorts she still wants to commute together with Akira, because it’s a fun and precious time to her.

Unsettled, Fumi dares not lift her head to look at her friend, with a trembling voice she confesses that she fell in love with Yasuko and is going out with her.
Fighting off her tears, Fumi says she doesn’t want Akira to hate her or think she’s disgusting.

Heading to school alone the next day, Akira thinks about Fumi’s unexpected revelation and is unsure how she should act towards her fiend now, she does decide however that she will not feel repulsed.

In class, Akira asks what Kyouko would do if she were to reveal to her that she is in love with a another girl. When her classmate inquires if that is the reason she’s not interested in meeting Kou again, Akira quickly retorts she’s just speaking hypothetically.

Thinking briefly about it, Kyouko fires the question right back at Akira, who after some thought says she would probably just cheer her classmate on, which leads Kyouko to conclude that’s probably the best approach.

At Matsuoka, Yasuko tells Fumi they’re going to visit Fujigatani again because of her participation in the school play.
Hesitant, Fumi confesses she revealed the truth to Akira about their relationship. Yasuko is amazed at the bespectacled girl’s strength and how Akira must be a dear friend if she outed herself to her.

When they get to Fujigatani’s theater club, Yasuko inquires if the club adviser Kagami is there and sets off to go great her former teacher.
Meeting Kagami in the teacher’s lounge, Yasuko briefly talks with him, before she takes her leave she asks him to come and watch the school play for she will star in it. When Kagami answers he’ll definitely attend because he’s the theater club’s adviser, Yasuko seems disappointed.

Thinking back to the past, Yasuko remembers she once sketched Kagami for art class, that one day the teacher had told her how he always sees her reading at the same spot in the library, looking like some sort of princess.
It seems Yasuko later confessed her love to the teacher, but he rejected her, which prompted the girl to leave Fujigatani out of heartache.

Relieved that Akira is treating her normally, Fumi still feels uncertain, but when the twin tailed girl wonders out loud if it’s ok if she cheers Fumi on, the bespectacled girl asks her friend to keep treating her like always.

Helping Akira and Kyouko with their theater club work, Fumi wonders about the stories she heard regarding one of the students and a teacher at Fujigatani’s library, her mind not able to let go of the tale.
Walking home, Fumi tries to ask Yasuko about the story but she doesn’t dare to.

Another nice episode and things are starting to move along for many characters, while the primary focus is still on Akira and Fumi, Yasuko and Kyouko get plenty of character and story development, often through brief scenes that actually tell much about them.

With Fumi now dating Yasuko, there was plenty of time to delve into Yasuko’s past.
By implicitly revealing Yasuko quit going to Fujigatani because she was rejected by the teacher to whom she confessed her love, it makes her character all the more ambiguous and realistic.
Is she just being with Fumi to get over her heartache? Has she really gotten over her crush on Kagami and being rejected by him?

Are Fumi’s feelings for Yasuko genuine, or is she just swept away by the bold upperclassman and trying to get over over her own heartache at her cousin Chizu getting married?

Might those two girls just be into each other because they unconsciously seek comfort for their weeping hearts?

Do like what they’re doing with Akira’s character, her worry about how to treat Fumi now that she learned her friend is in a relationship with another girl, trying to come to terms with it and her own inexperience with matters of the heart.
Does she herself even feel ready for romance? She isn’t sure.

Nice how they’re portraying that inner pondering, having such an important character showcase the intricacies of discovering about one’s own self and discovering love that everyone goes though when growing up.

Really like what they’re doing, love such character driven series that show us how all the different characters growth and change with time.

Looking forward to next week!