Recap
Hira is dropping coins into his flask, VOing about how once summer break starts he won’t see Kiyoi.
At school, Hira is still a gofer and the lowest in Shirota’s group. Shirota asks Kiyoi about making it into the contest finals but Kiyoi acts like it doesn’t matter. Hira is the only one who knows that Kiyoi really cares.
It’s the last day before break and normally Hira would be thrilled, but he’s angry he won’t see Kiyoi. Then Kiyoi suggests that since Hira lives alone, the group hangs out at his place. Hira frantically cleans before everyone comes over and lounges around his living room. They’re still calling him ‘Hi-kun’ and having him serve them.
Kiyoi finds Hira in his room and sits down. Hira is disconcerted that Kiyoi is on the bed that he masturbated on. Kiyoi asks about his photography, and remarks on Hira’s parents being rich to get him a camera. Hira doesn’t say much. His feelings for Kiyoi make him feel like everything needs to be a secret.
Shirota gets the idea to buy fireworks and invite girls over. The girls only want to flirt with an uninterested Kiyoi, which Shirota and company resent. Hira is annoyed at the way they used Kiyoi to get the girls.
They want ice cream and draw lots to see who goes with Hira to get it. Kiyoi draws the shortest lot but no one wants him to leave so Kurata, a girl who is an outcast like Hira, is selected. He puts her off, fine with being alone and away from them.
Kiyoi shows up on his bike and joins Hira after all, making him anxious and excited. Kiyoi makes Hira pedal both of them and asks more about photography. Hira explains that he likes being invisible behind the viewfinder. He can’t see Kiyoi’s face and thinks Kiyoi must be annoyed, but he’s smiling.
They get caught riding tandem by a cop and have to clean up at school. A hot Kiyoi sprays himself down with water and Hira admires wet-shirt Kiyoi. Kiyoi teases Hira for always staring at him and Hira, again, tells him he’s beautiful. They have a water fight, which is mostly Kiyoi spraying Hira.
They dry off at Hira’s and Kiyoi tells him to keep Ginger Ale in stock like he’ll be there more often. Hira feels hope he doesn’t think he should feel. Kiyoi lights fireworks while Hira watches and thinks about how it’s more than just finding him beautiful.
Kiyoi lets Hira take a picture of him.
Thoughts
In the book, Hira is sent to a fireworks festival to save space for Shirota’s group, including Kiyoi. Kiyoi shows up first and talks to Hira about how he keeps looking at him. Then Shirota and the girls show up. Kiyoi brings Hira some food but so has Kurata, and Shirota’s gang is clearly pushing them together. The two are sent off to get seats for dinner and don’t get to see the fireworks. Hira speaks the line about liking some things more than fireworks to Kurata in the book.
This all happens before any of the contest stuff, including Hira following Kiyoi and discovering the dancing. It’s part of a slow build, where you’re in Hira’s head and reading between the lines you can tell Kiyoi seems interested and jealous because Hira doesn’t see it.
The drama needed more drama, and also I think wanted to give more insight into Kiyoi and intensity earlier on to get the audience engaged. That’s my guess for changing the order of the scenes. I miss the slower burn of the book and I wish they’d had two more episodes because I don’t see how they could have done it in the time they had.
They made good use of Hira’s empty house here, moving that festival to a smaller gathering at Hira’s that they could actually film. They do hint at Hira’s parents being rich when Kiyoi asks about the camera, although Hira doesn’t respond. Kiyoi seems interested in Hira, though the jealousy about Kurata seems to be gone. And they get in both Hira’s anger at Shirota’s group and Shirota beginning to resent Kiyoi’s popularity. They fit in a lot.
Over the arc of the series, I think it’s Kiyoi’s character that gets the short end of the stick, like he did when they were drawing lots in this episode. Book Kiyoi can be a jerk, drama Kiyoi is a super jerk. While he voluntarily brings Hira food in the book, here he just incidentally gets picked to go with Hira, and even if it was his decision to follow through he then makes Hira pedal him. Somehow it feels less spontaneous, self-driven, and considerate. It’s a very small thing, and I doubt I would notice if there weren’t more stuff that bothered me with their adaption of Kiyoi later.
The water fight feels more like something you see in a BL drama more than something Kiyoi and Hira would really do at this point of the story. I would trade it for a more meaningful conversation between the two, but the guys are cute and look like they’re having fun. It’s a nice light moment.