Remember English Tea Lady? Turns out she’s not English, and her name is Mitejima Subaru. Benio’s former master shows up unannounced and the Twin Star Exorcists wastes no time asking her to train them (since Seigen’s too busy). I for one was glad to hear Sawashiro Miyuki, and her sidekick Tatara was pretty funny with his bread crusts and emoticon face veil.
Subaru agrees to train them…almost too easily, and we learn why pretty fast: they never stipulated HOW she should train them to become stronger, so she institutes her own regimen, one based on getting the “newlyweds” closer, from dressing them up in sharp threads to challenging Rokuro to properly compliment Benio (which he can’t).
Subaru pulls up dangerously in her stunning Talbot-Lago to check on the non-lovebirds’ progress (or lack thereof), and before long even Benio’s blind faith that her master knows what she’s doing erodes, once she remembers Subaru mostly talked about how awful most men are, and how to defend against them. That being said, the romantic tension between Roku and Beni is wonderfully palpable, even with something as “easy” as holding hands.
Things escalate from hand-holding to heart-pancake-feeding to flat out kissing, and Rokuro taps out, with a disillusioned Benio joining him in withdrawing from Subaru’s “training” for the day. These two just don’t do well when being forced, but their chemistry is such that they can coexist just fine on their own. Rokuro gets Benio some ohagi (on Arima’s dime), and Benio offers him one (of hundreds). Roku also seems genuinely charmed by Benio while she’s blissfully gorging.
Naturally, some Kegare have to show up, and the effects of Rokuro’s encounter with Yuto means his gauntlet is still… a bit unruly. But rather than ignore it and fight on her own, Benio spends a good deal of her mana in order to calm his right arm.
But because she’s so spent from the effort, Rokuro has to face the huge horde of Kegare on his own while protecting her, which means, without thinking, he draws her close and holds her. Still, things look grim, but just as naturally as Kegare always show up on SnO, someone shows up to bail out the original combatants.
This time Roku and Beni are the rescuees and Subaru showing off her impressive arsenal of spiritual firearms, a shtick that owes much to Mami from Puella Magi Madoka Magica (much like Magano’s aesthetic). “Scatter, Endless Rhapsody – Disperse beautifully” are some pretty slick callouts!
So, lesson learned: Rokuro and Benio are closer than they normally think, depsite being standoffish towards each other most of the time, when shit hits the fan they come together, and the closer they get, the stronger they’ll become, together.
And since Arima also sent Subaru in order to help get the couple’s romance flowing a little better, they’ll be stuck in her “training sessions” – including the intriguing “nighttime marital activities” department – for the foreseeable future.
That’s fine by me; I love watching the two squirm and blush as much as I love watching them kick Kegare ass. But most of all, I like it when they simply get along; not sniping, but just enjoying each other’s company.
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