Episode 4

**Disambiguation notice for Episode 4:**
*This article is about the anime episode. For manga chapter of the same name, see Chapter 10.*
**Overview**Gallery

## Level 4

* Title Card
* Episode

## Episode Theme Song(s)

### Opening

**Gradation** (ぐらでーしょん, *Gura de ̄ shon*)

## Episode Credits

### Animation Director

Song Seung-taek
Han Eun-mi

**“Are you in love with Yamada?”** (山田さんのこと好きなんですか？, *Yamada-san no koto suki nan esu ka?*) is the fourth episode of the *My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999* anime series, produced by MADHOUSE Inc.

## Synopsis

Akane joins the offline meetup of the Chocolate Rabbit Guild being held at the FOS collab café. Though she’s able to recognize who Yamada and this Rurihime-like girl is, she struggles to figure out who the two others in attendance, Eita and Mr. Kamota, are.

Seeing this, Yamada suggests they start with self-introductions, where Akane finds out that Mr. Kamota is a player with the username takezo and he is a strawberry farmer who she’s never come across in FOS. The other unknown figure, Eita, was the player of a character that Akane would never have guessed…

## Introduction

The Forest of Savior-themed café is a delightful spot for players of the FOS game. Eita and an elderly man, who had been chatting with Yamada outside the café while awaiting Akane and Eita's arrival, are both enthusiastic about the café's embellishments and the menu, which is named after the game's dungeons.

Akane evaluates each person individually, and she notices that Eita and the elderly man are excited about the gathering. Akane discreetly asks the girl she addresses as Ruri-chan about their identities, and she learns that they are Eita and Takezo, respectively.

## Plot

The girl Akane presumed to be Ruri-chan, clarifies that she is not Princess Ruri and is unaware of Akane's identity. Meanwhile, Yamada, sitting between Eita and the elderly man, listens to their discussion and suggests that they introduce themselves before ordering anything.

Eita took charge and introduced himself first, revealing his full name as Eita Sasaki, his age of 19, and his in-game persona as Princess Ruri. Akane was taken aback by this and labeled him as Nekama. However, Eita explained that his behavior could not be defined as Nekama. Akane was displeased upon learning that she shared personal problems with Eita without knowing he was male. The following person introduced was Takezo Kamota, an old man and a strawberry farmer who played the game as takezo. Akane had never met him because he preferred to camp alone in dungeons. Takezo then introduced Runa Sasaki, whom Akane initially mistook for Ruri, Eita's younger sister. Eita created his in-game character based on his sister. Finally, Eita introduced Yamada, the only person Akane knew from the recent guild meeting. Runa seemed curious about the relationship between Akane and Yamada and stared at Akane with an irritated expression.

After resolving the assumptions she had in her mind, Akane spoke with Yamada to clear up some of her misunderstandings. She revealed that she had assumed Yamada and Ruri were romantically involved due to their flirtatious behavior in-game. Yamada clarified that Eita was simply a friend from his hometown whom he occasionally played with, particularly when Eita struggled with the game. Akane, visibly relieved, then admitted that she had suspected Yamada of lying about not having a girlfriend. Yamada reassured her that he was telling the truth, to which Akane responded with a sigh of relief. While silently listening to their conversation, Runa began to wonder if Akane had feelings for Yamada.

Akane was taken aback when Runa asked her a seemingly inappropriate question. In response, Eita tried to silence his sister by covering her mouth. Akane was left speechless and instead took a sip of her drink, only to be startled by Yamada's gaze when she tried to look in his direction. This caused her to drop her glass, which shattered on the ground accidentally. Although she was willing to clean up the mess herself, Yamada cautioned her against doing so due to the potential danger. As he tried to stop her by accidentally holding her hand slightly, Akane, still embarrassed by Runa's question, turned around and nodded in agreement with Yamada's suggestion while blushing.

Yamada seemed uneasy with the current situation between him and Akane and excused himself to take a phone call outside. Eita also left the room, mentioning that he would buy some flowers. Akane felt relieved after Yamada and Eita left. Takezo noticed Akane's distress and tried to comfort her with kind words, which helped put her at ease. However, Runa continued to stare at Akane, and Akane sensed her strong emotions towards her, even though she couldn't understand why.

Eita accompanied Yamada as he left the cafe and questioned why he lied about the phone call. Yamada explained that he left the room because he felt uncomfortable with the way Akane was glaring at him, which elicited a soft laugh from Eita. He commented that Yamada's behavior towards women never changes, which may be why he can't find a girlfriend. Eita's words triggered a memory of a crying girl, which she labeled herself as 'pathetic' while asking Yamada.

After concluding their guild meeting at the cafe, they bid farewell to each other and went their separate ways. While leaving, Runa looked at them gloomily, disapproving of having Akane in their guild. She even mentioned taking any measures necessary to force her out. Takezo, who was silently listening to her, was left puzzled by her words.

Akane and Yamada are on the same train, headed home on the same day. Akane attempts to initiate a conversation with Yamada, but his responses are brief and unenthusiastic. Akane becomes aware of the people around her, primarily women, who seem to be staring at her. Due to the train's abrupt stop, Akane collides with Yamada's chest. Although she is initially hesitant to accept Yamada's offer to switch places, she eventually acquiesces. While switching seats, Akane realizes that the women around her are actually gazing at Yamada, not her. She recalls how surprised she was by Yamada's handsome face, leading her to believe that Yamada's appearance might influence Runa's negative opinion of her.

They headed to a nearby convenience store to buy Yamada some pudding for his dinner. While they were walking to their respective destinations, Akane attempted to strike up some casual conversation by asking him some personal and random questions, such as his occupation and whether or not he cooks for himself. Yamada mistakenly thought she was asking about his food preferences, responding that he only buys convenience store food and doesn't cook. Concerned about his nutrition, Akane asked Yamada to wait for her at a nearby park while she went to get him some proper food.

As Yamada waited for Akane to return, he thought about how she had a sad expression on her face in the past due to being cheated on by her ex-boyfriend, but now she seemed happy and positive, suggesting that she had moved on. Akane returned with two large tote bags full of curry she had cooked and some rice, which she offered to Yamada as a packed lunch. However, Yamada tried to decline the food but was interrupted by a phone call from Runa Sasaki, the girl Akane had previously referred to as Ruri-chan before learning her true identity. Runa apologized to Akane for her unpleasant behavior at the cafe and invited her to hang out again, which she gladly accepted. After ending the call with Runa, Akane informed Yamada about the invitation, mentioning that Runa thought she disliked her due to their previous encounter. Yamada smiled at Akane's cheerful expression.

Later, when Yamada reached home, he recollected that he had a tutoring job for Runa on the same day she had promised to hang out with Akane.

## Post-credit

Ruri-chan was showing off her collection of avatars from her favorite game. She began with Alice's Flower Clock Set, which is very popular despite not having any powers. Next was the Priest's Holy Robe, which is already at its maximum level and cannot be traded. The Red Roses for the Queen Set was subsequent, which gives the wearer an HP boost of 10,000. Finally, Ruri-chan showed her favorite avatar, the Guide to the Heart Set, which has all stats increased by 100 and is considered the most powerful. In reality, Eita typed the post as his in-game character, Princess Ruri, while Runa, his younger sister, looked at him discreetly with disdain for him being nekama at his door.

Alice's Flower Clock SetPriest's Holy RobeThe Red Roses for the Queen SetGuide to the Heart Set
## Trivia

* The term **Catfish**ネカマ (Nekama) refers to the practice of men using the anonymity of the internet to pose as women, taking advantage of this disguise to deceive others. The term "Nekama" is an abbreviation of "net okama" and has been used since the era of PC communications, which came before the internet.

* In the anime adaptation, it was explicitly stated that Akane would meet Runa on October 3, which had already passed during Yamada's birth month of September, thus confirming his age as 18 during this period. However, the month was explicitly not shown in the manga, as only the date was mentioned.

## Characters in order of appearance

**Takezo Kamota (anime)**Debut
**Eita Sasaki (anime)**Debut
**Akane Kinoshita (anime)**
**Runa Sasaki (anime)**Debut
**Akito Yamada (anime)**
**Ruri-chan**Mentioned
**Yamada**Mentioned
**Cafe Staff**Debut
**Unknown Girl**Flashback
**Akane Kinoshita/Character**Flashback
## Reference

*My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999* Manga: Chapter 27. — Refer to Chapter 27's Author's Postcard for the complete information and full body picture of Ruri-chan's avatar collection.
*My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999* Manga: Chapter 12 (Page 18).
*My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999* Anime: **Episode 4**. — It was shown around 21:06 till 21:23.