OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)Rintaro and Saku stop talking for a bit over Rintaro not telling the guys about his study session with Kaoruko, but he still tries to enjoy not failing the test.OUR TAKEWe’re back to smelling the blooming fragrant flowers this week, and just like the end of last episode hinted, there is a wee bit of drama among the boys about Rintaro studying with a Kikyo student. Specifically, the drama comes from Saku, the smart and sullen one of the guys, and while it initially seems like he’s miffed because of the school rivalry, it’s more that Rintaro has been hiding this from them and Saku doesn’t like that his friend is keeping stuff from him. That is definitely more understandable than what’s seemed to be the big problem, and even Subaru’s warnings about stuff with the teachers. Of course, we can also see things from Rintaro’s perspective about WHY he would hide this, due to all of these pressures, but we can also see why that would hurt Saku’s feelings too. If I had to guess, this will probably lead to them making up before too long, since we’re only on the fifth episode and this is a very small matter for these two to be fighting about. Still, at least it’s a misunderstanding that feels relatable and I can understand, even if I would rather this be over sooner rather than later. Not that I mind Saku actually making himself distinct as a character either.As for Kaoruko’s side of things, she seems to just be enjoying her peaceful life and glad to have helped Rintaro out with his test, though it’s clear the feelings of infatuation and shyness are really doing a number on her. Currently, she doesn’t really have much in the way of emotional conflicts like Rintaro does, but I imagine that will change soon enough, especially after she talks to Subaru about how Subaru talked to Rintaro about not wanting the two of them to be friends. Meanwhile, Rintaro’s mom also becomes more prominent in things because she is now able to tell that something interesting is going on between her son and a girl, which I’m sure she’s plenty intrigued by. Also, I guess both she and Rintaro dyed their hair blond at some point since a flashback shows they both used to have black hair. Usually I can get when a teenager does that to show defiance (dying it blond in Japan is typically a sign of that), but for the mom to do it too is definitely out of the ordinary, though I’m sure we’ll see some more elaboration on that later on. And that’s the fifth episode down, next time is the halfway point! Weird how we’re already there.