Please don’t expect too much out of this; this is the plain depiction of my thoughts.
Anything beyond this point is merely speculation from my part based on the fifth episode. Probably what I’m about to say has been beaten to death on the corresponding episode thread, but sometimes, it’s good to give my thoughts all the freedom they want to have. No long time ago I suggested the idea that Hiromi wanted to sincerely befriend Noe, and up to this point, it’s not far-fetched to believe that those were her intentions then and perhaps now. It’s interesting to see that Hiromi upon listening Noe the fact that friends share side dishes, she was already willing to give out part of her main dish—not that it’s too great of an example of what I’m trying to say, but note here that she was predisposed to continue what started back in episode 02, now that Noe was the one taking the initiative. It’s probably very strange to see this situation as Noe forcing others to do what she wants when the person in question didn’t mind her actions—nor she had any reason to do so—, but it was more than happy to accept the idea that friends share side dishes—which she eventually did.
Heading towards the beach with Shin was perhaps the most important
moment between the two of them. It was first the suggestion and later on the gesture of putting her scarf around his neck that led one more step closer to what Hiromi has come to realize and essentially understand. She has walked a long path from the person she used to be in episode 01—one who wouldn’t mind avoiding/ignoring Shin—to someone who can no longer stay away from the person closest to her as that was the cause of her burden and pain. The scene symbolizes this—the joy of simply standing there without having to face any external conflict. She was happy, she was at ease; for once, she didn’t have to worry about the rest of the world. The scarf itself was the object that dictated how close they have become after
few days. He is the only person she can trust inside of that dreadful house;
she wants now to believe in that person.
If only Shin wouldn’t screw things up, but perhaps, he would have attempted to understand the heart of a girl—and one as difficult as Hiromi—, the relationship between the two of them would have avoided the chaos and awkwardness it’s facing now **And if that was the case, I wouldn’t be writing this much after all—but well, nobody cares I guess…** Anywayyyyy… towards the end of the beach scene Hiromi tells Shin that Noe came to her during lunch break, and further adds that “people exchange dishes if they are friends” (if this is an accurate translation since the meaning slightly changes when you twist some words around). Now, it is quite obvious that Shin got a
different message from those words, so what did Hiromi intend by using such a phrase at the end of her conversation? I will try first to explore her new-found relationship with Noe as that may bring some answers to the question at hand. From Hiromi’s point of view, Noe is the person closest to Shin, and hence, the one who seems to understand him the most. When Hiromi discovered that she [Noe] could be very friendly as well, she realized that Noe wasn’t the wacky person she imagined to be, as opposed to someone who can easily befriend/understand Shin—in any case, it was some sort of a nice and very curious experience she didn’t expect to have with her (more or less after all that happened between these two). Now, if she says that “people exchange dishes if they are friends” is because she considers Noe as one of her friends (already accepting what she [Noe] said in lunch break). Hiromi
learned from Noe that befriending someone (probably Shin) did not require anything complicated, but very simple as sharing side dishes may likely indicate—which she kinda
got after Noe
introduced herself. That said, I want to stress the fact that Hiromi
shares this with Shin because she considers him important/close enough in light of recent events; but the problem is—as we’ll later see—is
believing that such a person can be trusted.
And that’s how the double point of view of Hiromi’s bedroom comes into place. I had a very hard time trying to understand this scene because her behavior didn’t quite make sense, but hopefully, I’m covering all the holes I encountered at first. From Hiromi’s point of view, all started with a text message from Tomoyo, “Shinichiro isn’t the right for you. I think you should go for number 4. I’ll be cheering for you.” She probably felt that one, Tomoyo is trying to force an
unwanted relationship on her; and two, she doesn’t like what Tomoyo
suggests—Shin being not the right one for her—as it contradicts what she has come to believe.
However, it is still unclear to her whether or not Shin can turn out to be the good boy she expects he is. Before continuing, I’m going to derail a bit off-topic to explain something that may be relevant to the situation at hand—and to certain extent, be of help to understand Hiromi from yet another point of view. Her room is itself a crucial piece to solve this puzzle. For months, this is the only place where she has been outside of any external conflict or
damage—although the damage has been already done thanks to Shin’s mother. It is probably the only place inside of that gloomy house where she doesn’t have to feel subjugated or restrained, but safe as a person and as a girl. Nobody perhaps has entered her room before—even if it’s the first time Shin is
allowed as she spontaneously/unconsciously/casually
states. That said, she then looks back at her phone and refers to her recent conversation with him as the lines “About today…” may very much indicate. Now, what the heck is she expecting him to
do/say to her? “You are the most important person to me” or “I love you from the bottom of my heart” may seem quite extreme, though it’s along the lines of what she probably expected him to say. She wanted to believe in Shin and waited for those feelings—perhaps not those beyond the romantic threshold—to be returned to her, but she soon realized that wasn’t the case. Shin entered her room because of some important matter that couldn’t wait the next day. Here is the great mystery, he mentions that he just met with Jun, but she outright
discards that scenario as a lie. Now, why does she think is that a lie and why doesn’t she leave any room for that to be true? Unless she totally dislikes any topic concerning Jun, there are many factors that add up to create this kind of behavior. First is Shin who enters her room for the first time. Besides the fact they have been childhood friends for a while, Shin is still a guy who hasn’t met the
secrets of her room (not yet), but in her desire to trust this guy, she allows him to enter even though a girl is not supposed to let a guy into her room—more or less if that’s his
first time. Shin seriously chose the worst moment or topic when his
reputation is at stake. Added to the bad wording and his perverted face, (>.<) it's not that difficult to believe that this was one of the reasons that made Hiromi feel disappointed and upset. He was intruding into the privacy of her room—something he didn’t seem to notice—and was addressed as such, “A nosy boy is a stupid one” or “A meddlesome guy is like a fool”—either way, giving this sense of anger and disappointment. The text message, on the other hand, serves to spice things even more when Tomoyo suggests that Shin is not the right person for her while #4 seems to be a better option. She unconsciously (?) wants to prove the opposite, but that ended up taking its toll on her judgment. She probably allowed Shin to enter her room so he can basically prove himself worthy; but Shin—from her point of view—was no different from any other
pervert who is only curious to know a girl’s room. Her high hopes and Shin’s idiocy were a combination that blew up her patience in an otherwise nice situation. She expected something better from Shin as the line “You came in here just to tell me that,” has the word ‘frustration’ written from left to right. When he started the
crap about the “creative power of sincerity,” it was clear to her that he was just making an excuse to stay
more time in her room and when he said that she was the one who allowed him to enter, there was no doubt that he didn’t have any reason whatsoever to begin with. “If your mother knew, you’d be in trouble.” This is the last thing she says before Shin leaves her room, and quite possibly, there is more than one way to interpret it. The first and most obvious one is the fact that his mother doesn’t like the sight of those two being together—more or less if he is in her room—, but she addresses underneath the fact that he entered her room for the
wrong reasons—something you would expect from any other guy. In the end, Shin failed to notice how important is Hiromi’s room, and intruded directly into the privacy of a girl who has no other place except the
kindness of his family. She, however, wanted to believe that such a guy was made of a big heart, but that didn’t happen. Shin was unable to think beyond the mere idea of doing the right thing and took no consideration for the feelings and hopes of a girl who lived closer than next door.