“Sometimes, it feels like I don’t really have any options either.”
CHAIN-LINK EVENT
WARNING: this Event is part of an Event Chain! You've lost all control over your own actions and must now sit back while
someone else takes the wheel. Enjoy the ride while it lasts, and hope that you did things right before taking the plunge!
Sensei arrives at Rin’s table, and Otoha asks him to date Futaba. He’s surprised that she of all people would suggest this, but Otoha, despite joking about it, doesn’t want him to actually date Futaba but just pretend to be her boyfriend so they can have a double date and make sure Futaba doesn’t feel left out after Nodoka decided to play truth or dare. Futaba isn’t comfortable with the idea, but Sensei doesn’t mind, because from the outside it looks like he’s just spending time with his students as usual, and, when Futaba feels like he’s pressured into doing it, sits down and commits to his role as her “boyfriend”, emphasizing that it really is no big deal to him.
Otoha tries to encourage her, saying that Sensei being her “boyfriend” will help make their situation more comfortable since Futaba isn’t left out and she is distracted from the awkwardness between her and Rin. Rin immediately reads too much into her statement, but Futaba and Otoha assure her it’s normal for some people to feel uncomfortable during the early phase of a relationships. When Rin and Otoha begin to flirt, Futaba apologizes to Sensei, but he isn’t bothered by this and compliments her for being the one keeping the group together.
With this sorted out, Otoha asks if they can start their double date, and Futaba confirms this, accepting Sensei as her temporary boyfriend until they’re forced to “break up”. Hearing this, Rin suggests they should date for real and is surprisingly pushy about it – She tries to push both into committing to it, points out how this would be the best situation to become a real couple, and even presses Sensei for an answer. Futaba, incredibly uncomfortable with Rin’s forcefulness, asks Sensei to give them a minute alone, and he leaves the table to pass the time keeping Molly company while she drinks.
Futaba demands an answer from Rin on why she’s trying to force them into a relationship, and Rin explains that she wanted to help her by asking the question she might’ve been too shy to ask, but when she asks if trying to help her is a bad thing, Futaba confirms that it is when it’s literally forced on them, with Otoha adding it’s one thing to joke about how two people should be together but another to be serious about it. Both girls wonder if Rin is alright, hinting at her having another depressive phase, but Rin denies this and promises she only wanted to help. Futaba apologizes for making assumptions about her condition, but doesn’t want her to help anymore since she needs to do this on her own. She further asks to stop treating this like a date and just have another night like usual, which everyone agrees with.
Sensei returns to the table, asking if any friendships were ruined during his absence, but Futaba assures that everything is fine and Otoha apologizes for causing this. Both girls start a casual conversation, but Sensei only stays for ten more minutes, because he had nothing to add to the conversation and got the impression his presence made Rin uncomfortable after what happened, and rejoins Molly.