Sensei knocks on the door to Room 4, hoping to spend some time with Futaba. He's briefly confused when Rin is the one who answers but accepts this as an inevitable hiccup in his plans as he steps inside. Upon entering, though, he finds both Futaba and Rin, as well as Nodoka, all dressed to head outside. After the latter tries to use him as an excuse to leave, Futaba reveals that the three of them are following up on their plans to start exercising at a newly opened gym. Sensei finds it out they're going out so late, with Futaba clarifying that it's to avoid the usual midday crowds.
Confirming that they'll be busy, Futaba tries to push Sensei away, telling him he can hang out with Rin another time. He clarifies that he's there to see her, but this does little to sway her mind. Nodoka chimes in, inviting Sensei along with them on the off-chance he might want to exercise with them — He denies this but takes up the offer to hang out with them. Futaba's hesitant to accept this, expressing how uncomfortable bringing Nodoka and Rin along with her is already. He reminds her of all the compliments and validation he's given her before, but she negates this by saying compliments won't change how she views herself — So she wants to try bettering herself in a productive way. After his inquiry into how she might go about it [[No, You
|"unproductively"]] is shut down, Sensei promises not to stay long and the group makes their way outside.
Arriving at the gym, Futaba tries to get him to leave again, but he refuses to budge, claiming he wants to properly view the place before leaving. As the group step into the main room, Rin and Nodoka become captivated by the sight of one of the patrons using the punching bags. Sensei recognizes this woman as Yuki, and briefly expresses the same captivation the others do. Seeing that her confidence is starting to wain, he asks if Futaba still has the energy to do this, which she confirms, though admits she's a bit intimidated by Yuki's appearance. He offers to help drive Yuki off, something all the girls deny he'll be able to do, but he begins walking up to her before they're able to stop him.
Upon seeing him, Yuki stops his workout and goes to greet him, something he ignores by immediately asking her to leave so the girls will think he's cool. Annoyed and confused, she initially refuses, but retreats when both Nodoka and Rin join the conversation and make it awkward. Satisfied with himself, Sensei returns to Futaba, claiming that her problem is gone. She reminds him that he's part of the issue which causes him to ask why he can't act as moral support in the same way Rin and Nodoka are. She easily points out the key difference in motive, and once Rin also confirms this, Sensei relents. He tries to reassure her not to be so embarrassed, but this continued insistence to intervene causes Futaba to tear up. She begs him to leave and, realizing he's overstepped his boundary, he obliges.
He tells Futaba he's proud of her and begins to make his way back home. Along the way, he notes how impressive her drive for self-improvement is. He laments how difficult it is to change aspects of yourself as you get older before becoming uncomfortable and opting to call Ami and speak to her on the walk home.