Another Sunday arrived.
Episode 9 of 'Kimi ni Todoke' aired.
This episode served as a wrap-up for the previous storyline.
Kurumizawa had originally wanted to comfort Sawako Kuronuma. Still, in the end, it was Kurumizawa who broke down crying in front of her.
After laying everything bare, the barrier between them gradually disappeared.
Sawako Kuronuma still wanted to remain friends with Kurumizawa.
Because that's just the kind of person she is.
Even though Kurumizawa had spread rumors about her behind her back and had only pretended to be her friend, as long as Sawako believed those feelings were real, she wouldn't dwell on the past.
This episode also used a brief flashback to explain why Kurumizawa fell for Shota Kazehaya.
Back in middle school, a boy her close friend liked ended up falling for Kurumizawa instead, causing her to be ostracized by the other girls.
At that time, it was Shota Kazehaya who noticed something was wrong and took the initiative to comfort her.
After this episode aired, Kurumizawa's already unstable reputation among viewers underwent a massive reversal.
Sawako Kuronuma is so pure she hardly feels like a real person.
She's the kind of character that only exists in TV dramas or novels—who in real life is that pure?
But Kurumizawa… she reflects so many real people.
["Guys, if a girl confesses to you, whether you like her or not, you'll definitely think about her all day!"]
This was a famous line casually spoken by the delinquent teacher when he ran into Kurumizawa at school.
It was originally meant to persuade her to stop liking him and disturbing his peace of mind.
But in the end, Kurumizawa took those words to heart.
In the middle-to-late part of Episode 9—
At the school's bicycle parking area, beneath a sky of drifting orange leaves, the drama devoted considerable attention to portraying the conclusion of this supporting character's love for Shota Kazehaya.
Even at this point, Kazehaya still thought she liked the delinquent teacher.
He even tried to comfort her sympathetically.
"I—I don't like him… The person I like is you. The one I've always been looking at is you. I don't want you to think I like someone else…"
"I'm sorry." Kazehaya immediately got off his bike and walked over to apologize.
But—
"I already have someone I like. Other than that person, I don't have feelings for anyone else. I'm sorry…"
"I know. It's obvious. But… when you heard my confession, did you feel even a little happy?"
"Yeah… thank you."
"Can you say my name just once?" Kurumizawa asked, looking at him.
"Ume."
Just a few short lines of dialogue, set against falling yellow leaves and the glow of the evening sun, were enough to make countless viewers of 'Kimi ni Todoke' break down in tears that night.
At first, Sawako Kuronuma was the protagonist, so naturally, everyone empathized with her and disliked Kurumizawa.
But as the story began to flesh out Kurumizawa more, people stopped projecting themselves onto the main character and instead saw their own reflections in Kurumi's love.
How many people experience love at first sight like Kazehaya and Sawako?
Most people's love stories are like Kurumizawa's—striving, yearning, and ultimately ending without result.
Especially that line from the delinquent teacher in Episode 9—
["If a guy gets confessed to by a girl, he won't forget her for the whole day."]
Kurumizawa's years-long crush and the courage she mustered for a confession that lasted only a few minutes may have only earned her Kazehaya's attention for that single evening.
And by the next day—
Kazehaya would once again be looking at Sawako.
This is a pure romance drama, but that doesn't mean viewers can keep smiling throughout.
Especially after this episode aired, many viewers, moved as they were, began to notice something felt off.
["Where's the main plot progression? Why does this week feel dragged out again?"]
["It didn't feel slow while watching, but after finishing, I realized the main plot didn't move at all!"]
["These past two episodes felt like they were about Kurumizawa, not Sawako!"]
["Why hasn't there been a confession again this week?"]
["This is seriously driving me crazy."]
["Sigh… I cried so hard. Two weeks ago, I was trashing Kurumizawa, and now I'm crying just as hard for her."]
["Isn't she basically just a scheming girl? Why are all of you acting like this? Don't tell me you think her being pitiful now cancels out her past actions?"]
["Because I'm not a saint, I don't expect a supporting character in a drama to be one either. I went from disliking her to liking her because I saw how real she feels."]
["Exactly. My favorite is still Sawako, but I know someone like her only exists in dramas. My second favorite is Kurumizawa—my teenage crush experience was almost identical to hers. I can't look down on her. If I were her, I'd probably do the same."]
["But something feels off about Kazehaya… why is he so nice to everyone?"]
["Gentle people are gentle to everyone. But many people mistake kindness as something special. In reality, Kazehaya treats everyone well—but he only breaks his principles for Sawako."]
["Exactly! Like in Episode 6, when Kurumizawa thought Kazehaya would misunderstand Sawako and Ryu, she assumed he'd just walk away. But she didn't expect that Sawako was special—he made an exception, grabbed her hand, and cleared up the misunderstanding directly."]
["So now that Kurumizawa's no longer interfering, will the main couple's relationship progress faster?"]
["Maybe they'll confess next week?"]
["Damn… I never thought I'd be this pathetic—watching a show where the leads clearly like each other from Episode 1, and my biggest wish is just for them to confess!"]
["Think about 'Tokyo Love Story'—Nagao and Rika were already in bed by Episode 3. This show is seriously driving people insane!"]
["Please, you evil author—if they're not going to confess next episode, at least let them hold hands! Is this even a romance drama?"]
["The craziest part is, even with such a slow-paced, pure romance, I'm still looking forward to it every week. Is something wrong with me?"]
By its ninth week on air, 'Kimi ni Todoke' finally broke past a 6% rating, reaching 6.03%.
But anyone paying attention knew that at this point, its ratings likely wouldn't rise much further. Due to its genre, it would be difficult to surpass hits like 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' or 'Fate/Zero'.
Unless the story took some unexpected turn.
However, over the next two weeks, Episodes 10 and 11 aired, and the story entered a transitional phase.
Although the relationship between the male and female leads was progressing, it had slowed down even further. Instead, the plot began focusing on the emotional entanglements of Sawako's two friends, Chizuru and Yano.
While these storylines were still engaging and the ratings remained steady at around 6%, fans in Xia Nation finally couldn't hold back after Episode 11 aired.
They flooded Su Yan's account with comments.
The audience had started to sense something was off.
At this pace, Su Yan could stretch this drama to a hundred episodes without any problem.
When people joked about the pacing being slow, it was just that—a joke.
If it were truly boring, the ratings would have plummeted.
But no matter how well-written the side characters are, they're still side characters!
Su Yan, you sly old fox—when exactly are you going to let Shota Kazehaya and Sawako Kuronuma get together?
You've already hooked so many fans—aren't you satisfied yet?