Interpretation:
Caution: If you hate Ruka,
as some Juri fans do, you're going to hate this interpretation. Don't
say I didn't warn you.
A few things have
always intrigued me about this episode. First of all, it seems odd to me
that Juri hates Ruka right from the start, before he gets anywhere near
Shiori. He was her teacher, after all, you'd think she'd be glad
to see him return in good health. However, she spends the entire
conversation at the Student Council meeting at the opening of this episode
with her back to him. She also bits her lip during this meeting when he
mentions returning after his long medical leave. (Yes, I've watched
these episodes one too many times.)
Another sequence I always found interesting are
the shots of Ruka and Juri's shadows fencing interspersed with shots of
them moving closer and closer to each other on that bench. Anyone else
find it a bit odd that they have a special "place" all to themselves?
At the beginning of the episode, Juri
is sitting on their bench, thinking about her feelings (see the line above.)
In the blank space where Ruka would be sitting, there spins a rose.
Juri also tries to warn
Shiori about Ruka. She actually starts to say something about not
trusting that man when Shiori cuts her off. Why would she warn her about
not trusting him, unless Juri herself has reasons not to trust him?
Ruka does nothing - at least, in this episode - to cause Juri to mistrust
him. Presumably something in the past occurred that caused her to
be so wary about him.
The fact that she detests him from the start, combined
with the wistful expression on her face at the start of the episode, plus
that whole sitting closer on the bench thing has me wondering if their
relationship was always just teacher/student, always just platonic.
Whether he mad a move on her and she, as a result, hated him for this breech
of trust, or she had a crush on him and then he left, I'm not sure.
That's anyone's guess as to what form this relationship took place.
I merely suggest there are enough hints thrown in at the start that makes
me question if there was something more than fencing between them.
Juri and Shiori reflections in this particular episode
focus mostly on the warnings Juri delivers to both Shiori and Ruka about
the dating situation. Notice at this point Juri is no longer declaring
how much she hates Shiori, although she does this during the first to episodes.
I think now that Shiori has returned to the Academy, Juri clings to the
hope that, somehow, the girl she remembers is still somewhere inside the
current Shiori. But she still carries the locket, she's still in
the coffin of her memory of that time, as demonstrated by the flashes of
memory we see when she tells Ruka to stay away from her. She seems,
at least, to hate Shiori a bit less than the first two episodes, especially
as she tries to warn her about Ruka.
Of course she wants Ruka away from her. She
doesn't want anyone interfering with the memories she has. Ruka is
a threat to her heart, a threat to a painful past she still finds comfort
in, The closer he is to Shiori, the closer he is to her secrets, to her
most vulnerable self. This I will discuss further in the next episode.
