As Sawako gradually improved her relationship with her classmates, she slowly…
Stopped being withdrawn. Instead, she became more lively and cheerful, even starting to smile more naturally.
But here, a small detail stood out—when Sawako gave the class a truly heartfelt smile for the first time…
Kazehaya Shouta, standing beside her, had a rather odd expression.
"What's with him? Why does he look so awkward?"
"Shouldn't he be happy that the girl he likes is getting along well with the class?"
"Could this be some kind of hidden subplot?"
"I don't get it—did Director Jing Yu mess up here?"
"He should look more cheerful, no?"
Just as viewers were picking apart the scene, the answer came.
On the way home that evening, autumn leaves gently fell. Sawako, who had become closer to her classmates thanks to Kazehaya Shouta, smiled as she thanked him.
Just then, another classmate walked by and greeted him, and Shouta subtly shifted his body to block their view of Sawako's smile.
"Sorry. That smile… let me be the only one who gets to see it."
Drama fans were stunned. And then—
The fan chat exploded.
"OMG, so this is the real Jing Yu!"
"The male lead's possessiveness! No wonder he didn't look too happy when Sawako got too close to the class."
"Does Jing Yu flirt this well in real life, too? Isn't he single? Where did he learn all this?"
"So the real kings of flirting don't date—they just pour all their experience into their scripts?"
"I'm floored. If I were even half as smooth as Jing Yu, I'd still be with my ex."
"Bro, I think you're missing more than just half his EQ—you probably also lack half his looks. If you were half as handsome, your girlfriend wouldn't have left you."
"Ouch, that's too real!"
"Great Zhou's Jealous King Kazehaya Shouta! This kind of human, grounded male lead is too adorable!"
"Watching this makes me wanna kick my boyfriend—he's sitting next to me playing video games, low EQ, no self-awareness. Ugh."
After this sweet moment in the first half of episode two,
The second half of 'Kimi ni Todoke' dove into a major plot point.
Yano Ayane and Yoshida Chizuru, who had just become friends with Sawako,
overheard some disturbing rumors going around the school.
Things like how Yano supposedly dated over a hundred guys in junior high, and Chizuru had been in juvenile detention for fighting.
Furious, they confronted the girl spreading the gossip and demanded to know where she had heard it.
The answer:
"Sawako said it."
The next day, the two—who hadn't slept a wink—confronted Sawako in class.
They didn't believe she would say such things, but deep down, they couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Still, it felt too awkward to just directly ask her, "Hey, were you the one spreading rumors about us?"
So they hinted instead—
"Hey, hey, did you hear? I apparently fought the whole class back in junior high."
"Yeah, I apparently dated a hundred guys back then, too."
They watched her face closely…
And Sawako, totally confused, responded brightly:
"Really? You two… are amazing!"
That reaction—
Fan chat:
"Hahahahaha!"
"I'm dead 😂"
"I get it now. Chizuru and Ayane knew it wasn't her, but they just needed that peace of mind from asking."
"Sawako is too precious!"
"Top-tier heroine."
"She's adorable!"
"These three are so wholesome. This is true friendship. Not like my roommate, who dropped her own money and immediately blamed the rest of us."
From there, the story shifted back to heartwarming slice-of-life.
"In these happy days, my heart beats faster. Everyone... how do you feel? Are you happy being with me?"
"If you are, that would be enough."
"If you are… that would be wonderful. Since the day I became friends with Shouta, emotions I'd never felt before have filled my heart. I just want to cherish this."
Looking at the friends now gathered around her, Sawako's quiet monologue struck a chord with the viewers.
"Some people are just fulfilled by the presence of friends around them."
"This drama really hits you in the feels in the most unexpected ways."
"I love Sawako so much. I want to be like her."
"This heroine's mindset is unbeatable."
"Isn't this what they mean by 'contentment brings happiness'?"
Kimi ni Todoke's viewership continued to soar as fan discussions heated up.
It wasn't long before the rating spiked to 7.49%, then, within seconds, crossed the 7.5% mark.
However, back at school, the rumor that Sawako had been spreading gossip about Chizuru and Ayane only intensified.
While chatting with an acquaintance in the stairwell:
"It's great to make new friends—those two, Chizuru and Ayane, right?"
"No, they're not my friends…"
The moment Sawako said that, many viewers knew—
This was bad.
Sure enough, the camera cut to the staircase, where Chizuru and Ayane happened to be walking by, just about to head down.
But they didn't hear the full conversation. Before they could react, the homeroom teacher pulled them aside for another matter.
"Not friends… That's what friendship looks like—like how Chizuru and Ayane are. Seeing them makes me happy."
"So I wouldn't dare assume. But I really like them. If I could become their friend, I'd be… so happy."
The second half of that statement—
They didn't hear.
All they caught was: "No, they're not my friends."
Fan chat:
"Writer, PLEASE don't do this!"
"We don't need this kind of misunderstanding!"
"The sweet vibes were perfect! Why mess it up?"
"This hurts. She finally made friends—don't take that away."
"You can tell Chizuru and Ayane are affected. They looked totally distracted when they came back from talking with the teacher."
"Ugh, this is painful. They're starting to avoid Sawako now."
"They're not being petty!"
"Exactly! If someone said straight-up that you weren't their friend, would you still treat them the same?"
"This misunderstanding is so unnecessary!"
Soon after, Chizuru and Ayane couldn't take it anymore and asked Sawako directly—
"Do you consider us friends? Do you… like us?"
Sawako hesitated.
"Rather than saying I like you… I think…"
Viewers already sensed something was off.
What she said wasn't wrong, but in this context…
Sure enough, Sawako stopped mid-sentence.
Chizuru and Ayane, hearing only that, looked crestfallen and turned away.
"We understand."
"Sorry for bothering you, Sawako."
Seeing her friends walk away so dejectedly, Sawako grew uneasy. Later, she overheard even more vicious rumors about Chizuru and Ayane, many of which blamed her as the source.
She started to believe—mistakenly—that because of her, the two had been dragged into this mess.
Wasn't this just like when people said Sawako could communicate with spirits?
Because of different misunderstandings, all three characters grew distant and somber.
"Maybe… It's better if I stay away from them."
Worried that Shouta might also get caught up in the gossip because of her, Sawako even ignored his greeting later on.
The next day, she formally apologized to Chizuru and Ayane.
"I'm sorry. Because of me, so many rumors have started spreading about you."
Sawako was sincere and uneasy.
But to Chizuru and Ayane, the apology sounded like…
a confession that she had been the one spreading the rumors.
Pure, full-on misunderstanding plot.
Episode two of 'Kimi ni Todoke' ended here.