Episode 6

The sixth episode of the *Oresuki* anime adaptation.

## Synopsis

It is the first day of the Hundred Flower Festival, one week after the previous episode. Joro narrates, saying that he has barely seen his friends during that time. He is confronted by Sasanqua and her friends, who threaten him if Asunaro's article turns out to be true. Joro is unfazed and shrugs them off. Sasanqua is about to argue but stops and leaves when Asunaro arrives. Joro thanks her for getting rid of them, and she smiles sweetly. Asunaro is the only one he has been around this past week. Asunaro mentions her article, and tells Joro that she will release it tomorrow.

Joro gets a call from Sun, who is at the principal's office. Inside the office, some representatives from the school PTA are confronting the principal in an outrage about the fact that two males are participating in the Kabuten dance. Sun predicts that he won't be allowed to take part, and that they should look for a substitute. Asunaro overhears his call and frets at this complication. Joro asks Asunaro to be the substitute. Asunaro accepts the offer and Joro takes out his phone to tell Cosmos, but she is already there. Cosmos already knew that Asunaro would want to be the substitute, but is surprised that Joro was the one who asked. She checks her notebook and tells Asunaro to come with her to the Student Council room. Cosmos says that it is something Joro should not hear. Asunaro says she won't come unless Joro also comes.

The three sit down at the Student Council room with Cosmos and Asunaro facing each other and Joro to the side. Cosmos rejects Asunaro's request to participate in the Kabuten dance. Asunaro asks why and Cosmos asks if she wants Joro to hear it. Asunaro answers yes angrily, and Joro is taken aback at her tone. Asunaro threatens Cosmos by composing newspaper headlines implying Cosmos's tyrannical and dictatorial intent. Cosmos reveals that she knows Asunaro has been lying to Joro and everyone else, and Asunaro gets worried as her threat falls flat.

Cosmos accuses Asunaro of lying about her article and driving Joro into a corner. She points out that Asunaro said she would follow and observe Joro, but was never present during lunch when Joro was always in the library. Asunaro claims that she took that time to write articles in the Newspaper Club room, but Cosmos crushed her alibi, since she could have done that in the library. Cosmos says that she knows what Asunaro was doing during lunchtimes, which makes her stressed enough to revert to her Tsugaru accent. Cosmos explains that rumors had been spreading about Joro during lunchtimes, mainly among the first-years, which influenced Tanpopo to decline the Kabuten dance. Asunaro insists that she stayed in the Newspaper Club room during lunch.

Cosmos brings up the incident where her article about Joro was 'accidentally' distributed. She accused Asunaro of printing the article after school the day before. Cosmos had checked the printer's sign-in sheet, which said that Yuki Ishikawa was the one who used it at the time. Asunaro uses this to prove her innocence, but Cosmos reveals that the sheet had been altered, as she produced the original. Asunaro's vision blurs as she asks how Cosmos got the original. The morning of the article's distribution, Cosmos had gone to the Newspaper Club room and found the original sign-in sheet, which revealed that Asunaro was the one who printed them. She had set up a hidden camera and then lured Asunaro to the Newspaper Club room to catch her altering the sign-in sheet. Cosmos also revealed that the PTA president had told her who had brought up the topic of two men participating in the Kabuten dance as an issue. Asunaro slumps over in defeat.

Cosmos admits that if Asunaro only had her original objective, her plan would have succeeded. Asunaro's original obkective was to isolate Joro and become the one closest to him. Her plan gradually became more complicated as Joro was chosen for the Kabuten dance, which required her to become part of the dance herself. Joro asks why she would do this, and Cosmos explains that Asunaro was hoping to fulfill the Kabuten dance's legend where the boy ends up marrying one of the three girls, and end up with Joro. Joro argues that he was the one who asked her to be the substitute, but Cosmos points out that this past week he had been isolated from everyone else and had been forced to spend time with Asunaro, ultimately being manipulated, since even if he hadn't offered, she would have proposed it herself.

Asunaro starts to cry, saying that he had always wanted to be with Joro ever since the baseball regional finals. Joro gets annoyed in his mind that they were revisiting that baseball game yet again. At the match, Joro had inadvertently protected Asunaro from a stray foul ball, getting hit in the head. In a desperate outburst, Asunaro says Joro doesn't need anyone but her and that everyone should get lost. Cosmos tells her that her plan is fundamentally flawed, since true love doesn't work like that, and selfishness only brings trouble. She tells her that her efforts are guaranteed to be rewarded. She then asks Asunaro what she will do now.

Asunaro turns to Joro and confesses to him, then tenses up in anticipation for his reply. Joro tightens his grip and grits his teeth before relaxing. Joro dons his Hyde persona and harshly rejects her. Asunaro apologizes to Cosmos for her actions and leaves, taking her rejection rather well. Cosmos reveals to Joro that she saw through his harsh words, that he was kind enough to use his rejection to give her a push. Joro asks what they will do about the Kabuten. Cosmos reveals that Sun had planned to convince Pansy to be the third girl in the dance. As if on cue, Pansy walks in, wearing a beautiful dress.

Later, Joro is doing the Kabuten dance. The first girl to dance with him is Himawari. As they dance she asks him if there is anyone he has a crush on. He says no, and she says she is the same. The lights dim and Himawari runs off stage right as Cosmos enters stage left. As Joro dances with Cosmos, she reassures him that only the two of them, plus Sun, know about Asunaro's plan. Meanwhile, Asunaro is in the Newspaper Club room writing a good article. As the lights fade again, Cosmos kisses Joro on the cheek before running off stage left. Pansy enters stage right and the lights turn on. The audience doesn't recognize her and starts talking loudly. As Joro and Pansy dance, she thanks him for helping her make friends with Himawari, Cosmos and Sun; flustering Joro in the process. Pansy explains the meanings of colored pansy flowers, yellow means memories, white means love, and purple means to be filled with thoughts of someone. The dance ends to a round of applause.

Joro and Pansy exit stage left and meet with Himawari, Cosmos and Sun, congratulating each other for a successful Kabuten event. Pansy musters her courage and officially becomes friends with the three of them.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Amatsuyu Kisaragi
* Asaka Mayama
* Hina Hanetachi
* Taiyo Oga
* Sakura Akino
* Kimie Kamata (mentioned)
* Yuki Ishikawa (mentioned)
* Sumireko Sanshokuin (flashback)
* Sunireko Sanshokuin
* Aoi Hinata
* Kimie Kamata