Marika's Love Meter Malfunction Episode 2: The Highs and Lows of the Lovemeter

The episode opens with Kitami Kanata pondering his strange new ability, to see the affection levels of girls. His chief concern is Toyotomi Sayuki, whose meter barely registers, inspiring visions of a fanged, monstrous version of her threatening his life. This imagined violence haunts him, making any normal interaction with Sayuki seem impossible. True to his fears, Sayuki corners him in the school hallway, executing a 'kabedon' with practiced intimidation. She demands to know why he stares, dismissing his stammering as she calls him a "friggin' NPC" and leaves him visibly crushed.

Walking home, Kanata despairs that his unique ability has only highlighted his social failures. He finds a moment of respite in a park, where he hears a child crying. Discovering young Mashiro with a scraped knee, he notes her remarkably high affection for him, a stark contrast to Sayuki's indifference. Helping her provides a small, much-needed boost to his spirits.

Kanata escorts Mashiro home, only to be stunned when Toyotomi Sayuki answers the door, surprisingly dressed in a frilly maid apron. Mashiro insists Kanata stay for dinner, recounting his kindness to her. Sayuki is visibly flustered by her domestic appearance, a rare glimpse of vulnerability, but ultimately invites him in. Kanata observes her affection gauge ticking upward slightly, a small victory he believes he has earned.

As Kanata bids farewell to Sayuki and Mashiro after dinner, a figure lurks in the shadows: Marika. Delayed by school duties, she arrives just in time to witness the trio’s seemingly close-knit interaction. Her mind begins to distort what she sees, twisting the innocent scene into something sinister. The final straw comes when she hears Sayuki call Kanata by his first name. Marika’s sanity begins to fracture, as she concludes Kanata has a secret family and a love child.

Marika's jealousy explodes into a vivid, erotic delusion, picturing Kanata and Sayuki together in an intimate, post-dinner scenario. In this fantasy, Sayuki seductively offers herself as "dessert," shedding her apron to reveal very little beneath. This imagined betrayal, witnessed from the sidelines of her own mind, fuels Marika’s sense of agony and deepens her growing obsession.

Back in reality, Marika’s intense rage manifests physically; her fingernails dig into the concrete pole, causing it to crack and crumble. Kanata finally notices her, horrified by the sight of her affection meter, which has transformed into a monstrous, thorny black entity with multiple eyes. Through tears, Marika screams "That homewrecker!" and "Kanata, you stupid jerk!" as she flees into the night. A panicked Kanata chases after her, desperate to explain the profound misunderstanding.

During the credits, the focus remains fixed on Marika’s affection gauge. The pink liquid within begins to bubble, darken, and sprout jagged thorns, eventually forming several blinking eyes. This visual transformation signifies that her affection has warped beyond love into a "broken" obsession. The meter morphs into a cursed object, serving as an ominous warning for the future of their relationship.