I see all the positive vibes between Himari and Aoi have had their effect! Himari is so down bad for Aoi she seems bummed out when he's not sleeping next to her in the morning
.
Of course her gal pals at school notice she has the look of a girl in love, and she can't focus on her studies, though that also gets into trouble at school. But at least her friends are willing to help her clean up
.
Their teacher seems surprisingly into the occult even though he tries to play it off, but that's a lot of occult objects...and in particular a mirror that lets you peer into someone's heart. Who wouldn't want that, especially if they have someone they want to feel connected to? Though I like how Himari doesn't think it's right to use something like that
.
Though things are immediately wrong as soon as she gets back home...and sees her parents. Well, warped version of her parents that are immediately unsettling, and she starts to realize something is wrong before Kasha pays a visit, though watching her parents turn into zombies chasing her is definitely not how she wanted to learn more of her parents
.
I thought it was too convenient that Ise and Yukari would show up to save Himari, and they're part of this too. They care about Himari, but they wouldn't ignore Aoi or treat Kasha's involvement so casually
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(The incinerated walking corpse's of Himari's parents was EXTREMELY unsettling
)
Of course this warped Momochi House would use Aoi as the Final Boss to tempt Himari, preying on her feelings for him and how much she wishes he would want to be with her...though it failed in thinking Himari wants to be stuck with him in Momochi House for the rest of her life, when she wants to be with Aoi OUTSIDE Momochi house after freeing him
!
Honestly though a threesome with Aoi and Nue doesn't sound half-bad
.
So this was all the mirror preying on Himari's desires and insecurities..wanting to see her parents again, being worried she doesn't have a place in Momochi House (although at this point she's actually done a solid job of helping out so I don't think she needs to feel like a burden), and wanting a place in Aoi's heart. But it's her unshakeable belief in Aoi and her feelings for him that let her break the illusion and free herself
!
She even managed to earn Kasha's recognition! Kind of! Even if he also sees her as a threat to his intentions towards Nue
.
So Himari never even left the school...although the way her teacher talked about wanting to see her dreams sounded kind of suspicious
?
I guess if one good thing came out of it is Himari realizing her true feelings and wasting no time confessing her love to Aoi! That's right, Himari confessed to Aoi and really put herself out there! Girl has guts! Though what a cliffhanger to leave off on Aoi's response. I'm pulling for you Himari
!