I'm a huge fan of straight/funny duos ... a dynamic that I do NOT think would work for these two. Mahiru looks at Ibuki and sees many things she normally dislikes about boys. She's loud, impulsive, a little pervy with chicks, lacking in any sense of responsibility. It's no wonder that despite getting along easily with people, the rock star has few friends. Meanwhile, Ibuki thinks Mahiru could stand to loosen up a little. They get along well enough as friends, but when arguments flare up, everyone gets uncomfortable.

All that drama seems so petty after the unthinkable happens. Sato's obviously in love with Mahiru. If the redhead doesn't return her feelings, then she's in the kind of friendship that's nearly overflowing with homoerotic tension. So when Sato gets fucking murdered as revenge for killing someone in Mahiru's defense, Mahiru shuts down. How do you keep living after something so horrible happens? How can you care about anything after losing someone you care so much about? How can you get mad at Ibuki for being horny on main or saying something thoughtless?

It's sad for Ibuki, too. She didn't know the Reserve Course kid, but she was with Mahiru when they discovered her body, and she can see how much the girl meant to her friend. So for the first time in her life, she gets serious when Mahiru's around. Cutting down on the silly comments, stopping herself from humming the tunes constantly popping into her head, being less crude about the cuties around them. It's a conscious effort. Tiring, a little stressful, antithetical to her ideal of living fully as herself ... but it's what Mahiru needs, and it may be what she needs.

One day, Mahiru notices this change her friend. She should love it. She'd wanted the girl to calm down a little and act mature, right? She asked for it, and now she's got it: Serious Ibuki.

But everything's already so serious.

It hurts to tell her, with all their past arguments in mind. But she tells her, because Mahiru's aaaaalways gotta tell people when they fall short in her eyes. Although she appreciates Ibuki's efforts, maybe what she needs right now is the silly person she befriended. Someone she can laugh with, feel light and gay around. Someone who makes her feel like a normal teenage girl after suffering through something so abnormal. So if she apologizes for looking down on someone she cared so much about, will Ibuki be Ibuki again?

No one has ever told Ibuki Mioda that they want her to just be herself. Now, no less a scold than Mahiru Koizumi doesn't just want that, but needs that from her. Her heart soars.

The bond deepens, and soon, there's a confession. Ibuki's stunned. After losing Sato, she didn't think Mahiru could like someone that way again. Neither did Mahiru.