I was under the impression that these would be episodic in nature but turns out they do connect after all. Don't know why I thought that. I guess it was because of the way they explained it. Nairhira is a recurring character so far, including Ono no Komachi from the previous episode + one new character. Their interactions were short lived, but the moment they spent was really calming. At the very least, it was nice seeing Yasuhide realize what he really wants from poetry. I wonder if he'll return again.