"Follow Love and It Will Flee Thee, Free Love and It Will Follow Thee" is the fifth episode of the second season of the Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi anime series. The episode revolves around Ritsu Onodera and Masamune Takano.
Plot[]
While trying to deal with the stress at work, Onodera gets an unexpected phone call from his "fiancee", An Kohinata. After stepping out to take the phone call, Takano learns from Kisa that Ritsu left the room in order to talk to his "girlfriend", much to his dismay. After barely convincing An not to come by his work, who instead says she will show up at his apartment, Takano comes up to Ritsu after the end of the phone call. They discuss Ritsu's "girlfriend" situation, causing a rift between Ritsu and Takano.
Takano kissing Ritsu after a power outage.
In the train, Takano gives Ritsu beer, telling him to come over to his place. Ritsu, however, turns him down and says that he can't. Suddenly, there is a power outage and, taking advantage of the darkness, Takano kisses a stunned Ritsu. Takano then begins to ask Ritsu about his phone call earlier, but the lights abruptly come back on - ending the moment.
As Ritsu and Takano walk home, Takano takes Ritsu's hand, holding it as they continue to walk. This makes Ritsu slightly irritated and he tries to shake his hand off to no avail, pointing out someone may see them, which does not faze Takano. After a moment, Ritsu becomes comfortable with holding hands. As they keep walking, a girl calls for "Ricchan" and Ritsu sees An waiting for him outside the apartment building.
Letting go of his hand, Ritsu runs to her surprised by her visit. Takano, also surprised, walks towards the two. An has come back from Paris and was waiting for Ritsu to give him presents. She asks how Takano and Ritsu know each other, to which Ritsu refers to Takano as his neighbor. An then introduces herself to Takano and thanks Takano for taking good care of Ritsu. Takano asks Ritsu if An was his girlfriend, to which he claims no, much to An's dismay. Takano walks into his apartment while An decides to head back as well. After a moment of looking back at An and Takano, Ritsu decides to make sure An gets into a nearby taxi. While An excitedly talks about her time in France, Ritsu silently takes note of how Takano may misunderstand the situation, wanting to properly explain to him.
Takano disappointed.
After getting back inside, Ritsu reminds himself how he and Takano are not dating and he has no true need to explain things. He also recalls that he has business assignments to tend to and he needs to work on building himself up. However, he deeply wishes to talk to Takano anyway and decides to visit Takano after all. Ritsu goes to Takano's place and, as an excuse to be there, gives him mochi by claiming he made too much for himself. Takano takes the mochi, giving him a simple and polite thank you.
Before Takano can close the door, Ritsu holds the door open himself and steps inside before beginning to explain that An is just a platonic long-time friend of his. Takano, however, doesn't believe him and bluntly states she is his fiancee, leaving Ritsu stunned. Referring to how they make a great couple, Takano tells Ritsu that he is going out and leaving. Ritsu casually asks if he's going to a convenience store, but Takano tells him that he is going to see his cat - who is with Yokozawa. Frozen, Ritsu lets Takano head for the door before abruptly turning around and grabbing a hold of the back of his coat. Ritsu then tells Takano that it was his and An's parents that arranged the "fiancee" arrangement and that they are like siblings, but that is all. Takano says that An appears to really love him, pointing out that she waited in the cold until her face turned red just to see him, calling him dense when it comes to such life situations. He asks Ritsu why he is telling him this, which Ritsu asks himself as well.
Takano embracing Ritsu.
Takano attempts to leave, telling Ritsu to let go of him, which he complies. Ritsu, thinking, tells himself that their relationship happened long ago and that they are now boss and employee. He also thinks that, given their situation, it would be for the best. Despite this, Ritsu again clings to Takano, preventing him from walking out of the apartment. Ritsu tells Takano how An confessed her feelings to him a long time ago and he turned her down - because he was in love with someone else. Ritsu then simply asks Takano not to go to Yokozawa's house. A moment of silence follows.
All of a sudden, Takano shoves him against the wall and slowly begins to kiss him. After laying together on the bed, Takano tells him that he doesn't know what Ritsu's been up to in the past ten years - urging him to tell him everything and not to leave any bit hidden. As Takano begins to embrace him, Ritsu reflects on how much his heart begins to race when he is with Takano and how nobody has ever had such an effect on him. He silently vows to never tell Takano this as they lay together embracing.
BGM Listing[]
| # | Song Title | Romaji | Translation | OST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 不吉な予感 | Fukitsu na Yokan | Complex Premonition | Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi Original Soundtrack |
| 2 | 世界の果てに君がいても (TV Size) | Sekai no Hate ni Kimi ga Itemo (TV Size) | Even if You Go to the Ends of the World (TV Size) | Sekai no Hate ni Kimi ga Itemo (Single) |
| 3 | 迷走する想い | Meisou suru Omoi | I Think To Understand | Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi Original Soundtrack |
| 4 | 猫の手も借りたい! | Neko no te mo Karitai! | So Busy, One Would Even Welcome the Help of a Cat | Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi Original Soundtrack |
| 5 | 束の間の安らぎ | Tsukanoma no Yasuragi | A Moment of Peace | Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi Original Soundtrack |
| 6 | 切なさの正体 | Setsunasa no Shoutai | Pain’s Identity | Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi Original Soundtrack |
| 7 | 逡巡する気持ち | Shunjun suru Kimochi | A Feeling of Hesitation | Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi Original Soundtrack |
| 8 | 認めたくない想い | Mitometakunai Omoi | A Feeling I Don’t Want to Acknowledge | Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi Original Soundtrack |
| 9 | 静謐 | Seihitsu | Serene | Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi Original Soundtrack |
| 10 | ざわつく心 | Zawatsuku Kokoro | A Noisy Heart | Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi Original Soundtrack |
| 11 | イライラする | Iraira suru | Getting Irritated | Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi Original Soundtrack |
| 12 | 秘めた想い | Himeta Omoi | Secrets that We Thought | Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi Original Soundtrack |
| 13 | 恋とは認めない! | Koi to wa Mitomenai! | I’ll Never Admit That It’s Love! | Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi Original Soundtrack |
| 14 | アイコトバ (TV Size) | Ai Kotoba (TV Size) | Words of Love (TV Size) | Ai Kotoba (Single) |
| 15 | 世界の果てに君がいても (Off Vocal) | Sekai no Hate ni Kimi ga Itemo (Off Vocal) | Even if You Go to the Ends of the World (Off Vocal) | Sekai no Hate ni Kimi ga Itemo (Single) |
Voice Cast[]
| Character | Voice Actor |
|---|---|
| Ritsu Onodera | Takashi Kondō |
| Masamune Takano | Katsuyuki Konishi |
| Takafumi Yokozawa | Kenyu Horiuchi |
| Yoshiyuki Hatori | Yūichi Nakamura |
| Shouta Kisa | Nobuhiko Okamoto |
| Ryuichiro Isaka | Toshiyuki Morikawa |
| An Kohinata | Yukari Tamura |
| Yukina Mutou | Shiho Kawaragi |
| Man | Shinnosuke Tachibana |
