TL;DR Version:
Nekoyashiki’s latest convention is a failure. Issay slips him his contact info but Nekoyashiki has no plans to use it. Then, a trip to his hometown leads to him learning that Issay’s childhood was quiet and sad. It was Nekoyashiki that made Issay proud of his smile. Issay plans to continue to meet with Nekoyashiki because his feelings haven’t changed since that last day of high school when he told Nekoyashiki he liked him.

Recap:
Nekoyashiki is struggling to set up for the next convention when the man who invited him to an afterparty last time shows up. He again appears glowing pink and on-screen text calls him “Bearded Framboise” so we’ll call him Framboise. Framboise wants to help and be nice but is again rejected.

At the same time, the idols are tired and Issay is depressed behind a curtain because he couldn’t go see Nekoyashiki. Except we know that’s not what’s really going on.

Nekoyashiki was looking forward to a line but doesn’t have one. Instead, he watches as Framboise cheerfully handles fan after fan. Nekoyashiki’s assistant tries to comfort him, but in the next moment we catch up to last week’s episode ending, and Issay showing up with an armful of roses.

The entire convention, exhibitors and attendees, freeze to watch the spectacle. Issay can’t stay long but yells encouragements to Nekoyashiki as he leaves.

As the convention shuts down, Nekoyashiki is glum because of his low sales. His assistant feels it’s because it’s the second book in a series. Framboise shows up nuclear pink and Nekoyashiki shuts down another afterparty invite before it’s even uttered. But then he gives Framboise compliments and calls him cool. 

Framboise is so overwhelmed his heartbeat appears as text. He denies it’s because of the compliment because he only has eyes for “buff hotties over 40” (you go dude). Then his eyes turn to hearts and he collapses. Nekoyashiki’s assistant frantically tries to revive him and get help, blaming the fall on a “tsundere” (someone who acts cold but has a soft heart). It’s pretty funny.

At his apartment, Nekoyashiki discovers Issay slipped him his contact info with the roses, but he resists the idea of actually contacting him.

Nekoyashiki has to go to his hometown for Obon because his mother wouldn’t take any excuses. When he gets there though, Issay is also there. Because Issay told Nekoyashiki’s mom he’d visit them if Nekoyashiki came home too. Nekoyashiki’s mother and sister are clearly more interested in seeing Issay than him.

Issay does not join for dinner, however, and Nekoyashiki’s mother says something sweet to him, but it turns out is just wants Issay’s info. Still, after dinner when the two of them talk she discovers that Nekoyashiki doesn’t know about Issay’s family.

We aren’t given that info yet. Nekoyashiki, though, does have it because when Issay shows up just to see him, his attitude has changed. The two of them go out to an overlook and Nekoyashiki admits he knows. Despite Nekoyashiki denying that he’s worried, Issay thinks he’s being kind.

The backstory is in awkward pieces of flashbacks mixed with conversation. Basically, Issay’s mom openly had affairs, and his house was miserable. Issay loved Nekoyashiki’s warmer family home and decided to smile around his parents even if they didn’t. But his dad couldn’t let him have that, and Issay felt bad about his smile.

Until Nekoyashiki encouraged him to use it to become an idol. Present day Issay is crying as he tells Nekoyashiki that he gave meaning to his smile.

Issay’s manager demands he return to Tokyo for work, but before he leaves he tells Nekoyashiki that he’s going to visit him often because his feelings haven’t changed. And he repeats to Nekoyashiki what he said on that last day of High School: That he really likes Nekoyashiki, and clearly in a romantic way.

Nekoyashiki looks stunned.

In a newsroom somewhere the reporters are ready to release some dirt on Shiny Smile.

Thoughts:
I think one of the prettiest shots I’ve seen in a jdrama is in this episode. When Nekoyashiki and Issay are up on that overlook, with the smeary reflection of them taking up half the screen. Considering that the episode seemed to be about revealing that there was more going on than just what was being shown on the surface, it seemed to have a deeper meaning.

One of those big, deeper reveals was their childhoods. Upbringings affect people’s personalities for sure, but writers can get too reliant on a simple direct cause and effect with these things. Happy people from happy homes. Sad people from sad homes. So it’s nice to see it used to add depth to these characters. Issay is a positive guy with a big smile, but he’s got a sad past and secrets. Nekoyashiki is an insecure grump, but his family life was happy and he’s pretty honest about his feelings, to the point of being kind to Framboise.

And then the last big reveal, when we see that despite Nekoyishiki saying he never wanted to see him again, Issay made his feelings clear that day back in High School.

My hope is that Nekoyashiki stops pushing Issay away, especially since it looks like Shiny Smile is going to be in trouble in the next episode.