Yano and Chizuru only demanded one thing from Kurumizawa—an apology.
Otherwise, they would reveal everything she had done, exposing her true nature to Kazehaya Shota.
By this point, Kurumizawa had already been cornered.
But even so, she would rather let her true self be exposed in front of Kazehaya than back down.
Seeing this, Su Peishan's gaze sharpened.
This second female lead antagonist… was written really well.
If she gave in immediately, the character would lose all charm.
She didn't believe Sawako would forgive her, nor was she willing to apologize or abandon her pride—even if it meant being hated by the boy she liked.
And the reason 'Kimi ni Todoke' became a pinnacle of romance anime in Su Yan's previous life—
It was precisely because it didn't follow conventional storytelling.
In most works, this would be the moment to expose the second female lead's ugliness.
But instead, Sawako kept recalling the time she had spent with Kurumizawa.
Perhaps everything Kurumizawa did toward her was fake.
But one thing was real—
Everything Kurumizawa did stemmed from a single reason.
She liked Kazehaya Shota.
But she lacked confidence and feared other girls would take him away.
So whenever Kazehaya grew close to another girl, she would spread rumors about that girl, throwing her into emotional turmoil—leaving her with no energy to pursue romance.
In essence, Kurumizawa wasn't targeting Sawako alone.
She was targeting anyone who got close to him.
After realizing this, Sawako turned back and ran toward where Kurumizawa was.
And she told Yano and Chizuru not to say anything to Kazehaya.
["Mm… if this were anyone else, I'd be cursing at the screen,"] Su Peishan sighed.
["But since it's Sawako…"]
["…it's exactly because she's like this that I love this show."]
Sawako stood before Kurumizawa and, seeing her dejected state, spoke directly:
"I like Kazehaya. I came here to tell you that."
Su Peishan frowned—why would she do that?
But then—
She quickly understood.
This was because, in last week's episode, when they watched the match together, Kurumizawa had poured out her feelings for Kazehaya to Sawako.
"So when you told me all that… this is how you felt."
As Sawako said this, the background music swelled, and the entire atmosphere shifted.
Su Peishan's eyes widened—she sensed what was coming.
"I told you, I'm not your friend. Don't compare me to you."
Kurumizawa, who hadn't cried until now, finally had tears welling up in her eyes.
"Weren't you nervous? Didn't you feel even a little shy? Or happy? When you said you liked Kazehaya… when you realized it…"
Sawako looked at her.
Su Peishan felt it click.
She understood what the writer was doing here.
Kurumizawa may not have considered Sawako a friend.
But only these two—
Could truly understand what it felt like to love someone like Kazehaya so deeply.
Even if she disliked Kurumizawa—
This scene still stirred something in her heart.
This was pure love at its finest.
"If my rival is you, Sawako… I feel like I could win."
Kurumizawa stood up, her voice trembling.
"Because I definitely… definitely, definitely like him more than you! It has to be that way…"
She lowered her head, struggling to hold back her emotions.
At school, at home, no one knew her true self.
Everyone liked the sweet, cute version she pretended to be.
But only Sawako knew everything.
Even her feelings for Kazehaya.
The person Kurumizawa hated the most—
Was Sawako.
But the person who understood her best—
Was also Sawako.
Su Peishan's nose suddenly stung.
Su Yan… are you really a guy?
How can you write girls' emotions this vividly?
"I think the Kurumizawa you are now is even more lovable than when I first met you."
Sawako looked at her and said softly.
"Even if I'm lovable… what's the point? If Kazehaya doesn't like me, what's the point?"
Kurumizawa lifted her head.
For the first time in the series—
She broke down crying.
The background music rose.
Su Peishan knew Kurumizawa was the "villain," the manipulative one—
But in this moment, she still felt heartache for her.
She hadn't done all this to please everyone.
She just wanted the person she liked to notice her.
As viewers, people sided with Sawako because she was the protagonist.
But in Kurumizawa's world—
The boy she had loved for years suddenly fell for someone else.
Someone gloomy, rumored to bring misfortune.
Who could accept that so easily?
"I know… Kazehaya doesn't like me. I know…"
Kurumizawa sobbed.
"I've been watching him all this time… so why did you come back, just to make me cry like this in front of you?"
"I hate you the most!"
The camera pulled back. The music swelled.
The voices of the two girls standing in the corner of the school gradually faded.
There was no melodramatic resolution.
Even until the very end, Sawako still treated Kurumizawa as a friend—
And shared her true feelings with her.
Su Peishan sniffed and wiped her eyes with a tissue.
She hadn't expected it—
The highlight of this episode wasn't Kurumizawa being exposed.
It was her confession.
Just last week, everyone hated this character.
But now—
People were starting to sympathize with her.
The ending song began to play.
Sitting on the sofa, Su Peishan suddenly found her iced watermelon no longer tasted as sweet.
Only now did she realize—
Where the hell was the confession?!
Everyone had been waiting for it before the episode aired—
So why wasn't it there?!
Episode eight already!
When was this show going to finally have them confess?!
She clenched her fists, about to go online and rant about Su Yan—
But after a moment, she stopped herself.
Complaining about slow pacing only made sense if the story wasn't engaging.
But this show was strange.
Even though the relationship between the leads progressed painfully slowly—
Each episode was irresistibly compelling.
Kurumizawa's character, too, was masterfully written.
At first, she seemed like a sweet girl.
Then she was revealed as an antagonist.
Last week, fans were even begging Su Yan to kill her off.
But Su Peishan knew—
After tonight's episode, many viewers will start sympathizing with her.
Someone like Sawako didn't exist in real life.
She was adorable on screen, but exhausting to be friends with in reality.
On the other hand—
People like Kurumizawa, the ones who lose in love—
Were everywhere.
Viewers might project themselves onto the protagonist.
But when it came to Kurumizawa's experience—
Many were simply looking into a mirror.
Especially Su Peishan.
She found herself thinking back to her own unrequited love in college.
…Sigh.
Su Yan, you really are something.
After episode eight finished airing—
For once, fans across Xia Nation didn't erupt in anger.
No one cursed Su Yan.
No one cursed Kurumizawa.
They simply, with complicated emotions, opened their browsers—
And raised the show's rating even higher.
Everyone had come to understand—
'Kimi ni Todoke' was pure love, through and through.
So pure that—
There wasn't even a true villain.
After this episode…
How could anyone still hate Kurumizawa?
She had simply fallen for someone—
Who would never love her back, no matter how hard she tried.