She's shaken, but Retsuko acts normal in front of her bandmates after a deranged fan accosts her. Haida struggles to choose between Retsuko and Inui.
Tropes:
- The Bad Guy Wins: While the unhinged fan didn’t manage to kill Retsuko, his attack is so traumatic for her that she decides to quit the idol career after paying off her debt, and stay in her boring, but safe job.
- Big Damn Heroes: Haida manages to save Retsuko’s life from the Loony Fan who was attempting to murder her.
- Bittersweet Ending: Because of the unhinged fan nearly killing her for changing the status quo of the idol group, she decides to quit her idol job and stay in the accountability office job. But at least she’s in a much better place as she starts a relationship with Haida.
- Break the Cutie: Retsuko is understandably traumatized by the whole stalker’s ordeal, to the point that she refuses to go back to her job and her own apartment out of fear, opting to move in her parents’ house. She gets better thanks to Haida.
- Brick Joke: Throughout this season, everyone has wondered what Hyodo’s true job is, since he actively avoids to talk about it. In this episode, Retsuko discovers it by completely accident: he’s actually a window washer.
- Cooldown Hug: After Retsuko lashes out to Haida in frustration about her already crappy life getting even worse by the cruelty of the world, the latter grabs her hand and lets her know that he will always be by her side. This actually calms her down.
- Darker and Edgier: By far, the darkest episode of the series, as it shows the ugly side of toxic fandom and a Sanrio character nearly murdered by a sociopathic stalker.
- Despair Event Horizon: Haida nearly crosses it as he believes that Retsuko is killed by the Loony Fan, only for Inui to point him out that she’s merely unconscious, and the blood on her actually belongs to him, as he was too worried for her safety to notice he was injured by the fan in her place.
- Heroic BSoD: See Break the Cutie. By the time Haida goes to where she moved (in her parents’ house), he found her isolated in her room, covered with a blanket, while aimlessly watching her phone.
- It's Probably Nothing: Despite Manaka’s warnings about the situation with the stalker getting worse, Retsuko decides to go back home alone, thinking that no one would attack her, especially in a crowded street where anyone with ill intentions can be easily get caught. Not even 5 seconds are passed after she assures Manaka that she’s fine, she turns around to see the Loony Fan about to murder her. Luckily, he’s stopped by Haida, and she just passes out after hitting her head.
- Meaningful Echo: Unlike the previous seasons, Retsuko’s “I’ll count to ten, and…” mantra is said in a hopeful, optimistic tone, and it’s implied that it’s because she’s starting to take the first step in a relationship with Haida.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: At the karaoke bar, in order to snap Retsuko out of the funk, Haida starts to insult her by asking her if she really wants to let a complete lunatic stranger win, by letting a traumatic experience ruining her life, and even calling her a coward, all with a punk rock song. Enraged and frustrated by everything that happened to her, Retsuko gives one back to Haida in Death Metal song, telling him that he’s a pathetic, irritating loser, that she doesn’t need him and doesn’t care of his feelings for her, and finally that she has enough of the world punching her for insane reasons. Haida responds by reaching out her hand and assuring her that they will “punch the world back” together. This actually calms her down.
- Stepford Smiler: In the Cold Open, Retsuko tells the O.T.M. Girls that she’s still fine after the Loony Fan verbally assaulted her for 5 minutes. Manaka is the only one who’s wise enough to know that Retsuko is lying through her teeth. In the next shot, Retsuko is franatically washing her hands as if she had been violated, and on the verge of tears.
- Tap on the Head: While Haida stops the unhinged fan from killing her, Retsuko ends up hitting her head on the ground from the struggle, knocking her out in the process.
- You Are Not Alone: Haida has to assure Retsuko that whatever challenge she’ll face, she can count on him to snap her out of her Heroic BSoD. It works.
