TL;DR Version:
After deliberately breaking her heart to avoid breaking her heart years ago, Sakura is still trying to avoid having a new relationship with Aoba. Aoba, though, is determined enough to learn sign language and pressure him to meet up again. She learns the truth about what happened 8 years ago. The pair of them unexpectedly run into Minato. 

Recap:
We’re starting out by rehashing the past. First, back to the bucolic days of Sakura and Aoba in high school, chatting away and being silly teens. We get voice-over from Sakura, so things are from his POV now.

A moment after he waves goodbye to Aoba at High School graduation, he experiences his first hearing issue. Which seems to involve tinnitus, a ringing in the ears. Back at home sometime not too much later, his mom notices he’s not hearing things. He resists admitting it, but soon enough they’re at the doctor, diagnosing the unnamed illness that destroys his hearing. 

He sees his mother upset over his illness, and it’s clear the way it’s affecting others is bothering him. He meets up with Aoba, and it seems like he might be about to tell her. She leaps into loving mode, trying to reassure him about whatever has him upset and chatting away while he’s quiet. Again, it comes up that she likes his voice.

He leaves, but before he goes, he asks her to say his name. Then he walks away crying. That was the last time they saw each other.

And now we’re back to the present, where we left off last episode, with both of them crying after their most recent encounter. Sakura’s friend finds him, and Minato comforts Aoba as best he can. 

At a cafe, Sakura shows his friend that he has one of Aoba’s earbuds. The friend discovers it’s really expensive and Sakura feels he has to return it. Not because it’s expensive, but because Aoba loves music.

Sakura asks Minato for Aoba’s info, and they meet at a cafe. Sakura tries to drop the earbud and run, but Aoba wants him to stay. She struggles to communicate, and Sakura pulls out an app on his phone that converts speech to text. Aoba is flustered and babbling and the app keeps converting her rambling into text, and Sakura is amused.

Later, Aoba meets up with Minato for dinner and tells him about Sakura and his hearing loss. Minato keeps talking about food and Aoba realizes he already knew about Sakura. He explains he was worried about her feelings. She seems to accept that. He doesn’t want to meet up with Sakura, but hands her the flier for the sign language class in anticipation of her meeting with him again.

Aoba ends up talking to a friend, maybe because she can’t talk to Minato. Minato, meanwhile, is telling some random friend the truth Sakura didn’t want anyone to know. Random friend reassures Minato that Aoba won’t want to be with someone with a disability. It’s all pretty unpleasant.

Aoba goes to sign language class, and after it’s over she asks about deaf people using their voices. The teacher explains that some people don’t want to use their voices after their hearing is gone. He tries to illustrate it in terms of a failed relationship, and how people sometimes wish they’d never even met the person they’d once loved. Aoba doesn’t go for it, and says she would want to feel happy for having had that feeling.

Sakura’s dinner appears to be a leek and two beers he’s putting down by the sink when Aoba texts him. He tries to put her off but agrees to meet in person. 

At the cafe again, Aoba surprises Sakura by signing. It’s basic stuff he already knows, but he smiles. Once out of what she can sign, they revert to the app, which she now has installed on her phone. He explains the hearing loss. She blames herself for him not telling her, because of what she said that day at the park. He said he was happy then. 

She asks after the person he dumped her for, and he signs that the only person he liked was her. She starts to cry, then he’s crying and telling her that’s why he didn’t tell her. She says she cried even more when he dumped her. He asks if she has someone who takes care of her and doesn’t make her cry. She tells him yes, and that they should meet. Sakura doesn’t seem to want that meeting.

We’re at the end of the episode though, and that meeting is going to happen, or some form of it anyway. Minato calls while Aoba is saying goodbye to Sakura, and it turns out he’s standing just across the street.

Thoughts:
I have some mixed feelings after watching this episode.

First off, I’m somewhat annoyed at both of the guys at this point. Minato tells Aoba he kept Sakura’s hearing loss a secret because of her feelings. Sakura tells her he kept his secret because of her feelings. I kind of hate that they’re putting their decisions on her feelings, like she is to blame for their choices.

This is why noble idiocy is the worst. It’s always about a character deciding something for someone else, and blaming their decision on the other person’s feelings. When Aoba felt guilty for things her teenage self said to the guy she was in love with without knowing what was going on with him, I wanted to give her a hug and tell her it wasn’t her fault.

At the same time, she mentions how much she cried after being dumped, and her brother seemed to be shoving her so hard at Minato last episode, did she have some kind of emotional breakdown? Even if that’s so, I don’t feel that Minato handled it right.

At least in Sakura’s case, he was young and dealing with an overwhelming problem. Last episode Minato seemed sweet and I was worried for him. This episode he annoyed me with his lying, refusing to see Sakura, and then maybe even pushing Aoba towards Sakura with the sign language flier. Then listening to his friend’s gross attitude toward someone with a hearing loss. 

Aoba is awesome here. Even if Minato hadn’t given her that flier I feel like she would have gotten there on her own. I loved what she said to the sign language teacher about feelings. 

None of these mixed feelings affect my enjoyment of the show. I’m very curious about where these characters will go and have no idea if the end game is her with either guy.

Regarding Sakura’s voice. I think the only person we’ve seen him signing without speaking with who can hear is Aoba. My guess is it’s her love of his voice that makes him uncomfortable using it around her now. I’m curious if we’ll see him use it in the future, either with her or others.