Although the successful customization of its brand-new studio is a significant milestone worthy of celebration, Akindo quickly finds that there are more difficult challenges ahead -- such as the lack of internal climate control for their new workspace. Tsutomu is not fooled by Mikako obfuscating her frustration with her family government with a fiery determination to make a star performance at the next flea market; while Tsutomu wonders what he can do, Hirohiko reminisces about the good old days when he and Ruriko were both raising Mikako together as he wonders how to bring that about once more. While Ruriko continues with her manga synthesis, Kuro senses that Ruriko is medically in a bad way but realizes that he cannot help Ruriko by himself; thanks to Mikako complying Tsutomu's time limit on beginning her home commute, Kuro effects an SOS rendezvous with Mikako who detects something amiss when she finds Ruriko's uneaten breakfast. Absent-mindedly repulsing Kuro's »Let us keep searching« exhibitionism ultimately becomes the ironic deus ex machina for Mikako to literally stumble over Ruriko -- and a very poignant warning about her maladaptive conduct.