天下制覇

More Yukino and wild animals than you can shake a sharp stick at.

We return to the one story per episode formula for this episode. Things were a lot more low key all around this episode, and to fill in the space since this was only one chapter of the manga, they added a short scene of Ayane coming across Suzu while she’s searching and the two going at it for a little bit. We also (somewhat thankfully) weren’t treated to the naked Yukino that exists in the manga. Sorry lolicons, get your fill elsewhere.

The episode pretty much revolves around Ikuto helping Yukino search for the missing Kuma Kuma. She gets Ikuto to help her while sending Suzu off to search elsewhere and Ikuto learns that he really has no idea what Kuma Kuma looks like at all. Yukino also tells Ikuto all about herself and her collection of pets that make up her family. Kuma Kuma in particular is special to her because they’ve been together the longest, and when they first became friends, they were pretty much the same size and played together. Remember Kuma Kuma makes her start crying, so Ikuto gets his second wind and snatches her up and the two recommence their search.

Elsewhere, Suzu and the other animals come across Ayane who leaps out and tries to ambush Suzu. She uses her ‘super speed’ to leap around, until Yukino’s duck slaps her out of the air and the crew continue onward, Suzu somehow able to understand what the animals are talking about when they ask about Ikuto.

Back with Ikuto and Yukino, using various techniques, they start closing in on Kuma Kuma, but have to cross a rickety bridge. Partway across, the bridge collapses. Ikuto manages to catch Yukino as they fall, but are stuck hanging until the bridge is pulled up by none other than Kuma Kuma with Suzu. A joyful reunion later, Ikuto starts getting chased around by the animals that were helping Suzu, while Yukino gives Ikuto a look of pure gratification. Suzu sees this, and suffers her first pangs of jealousy.

The unrelated post-ED scene was just Suzu wandering into the bath with Ikuto and a doubletake nosebleed affair. I just felt like mentioning it because it reminded me of Komugi, which did the same joke about 18 times over in the course of its run.