The latest episode of "Terrace House" was like a cup of hot cocoa: sweet, heartwarming and the perfect thing to lull me into a peaceful frame of mind.
Peppe's story about his orange-flavored first kiss must have intrigued Haruka because she's definitely showing some interest in him. After an exchange about her visit to the Pokemon Center in the Nihonbashi district ("Did you get a Pippi doll for Peppe?"), the two get cozy downstairs in the playroom while testing out a Pokemon Nintendo Switch game. Haruka mentions that Peppe should take her to a cafe that will make her feel like she's in Italy. But then, before I had a chance to get comfortable with the idea of these two together, Peppe and Emika start making plans for a beach day at a speed that feels as if someone put a shot of Bailey's in my hot cocoa. Or two shots.
Emika and Kaori grab lunch together and launch into a discussion about boys, specifically Kaori's ex and Shohei. After last episode's heart-to-heart, Kaori is ready to reignite her torch for Shohei, but it looks like it's too little, too late for him as he's setting his sights on Emika. After her flirtatious invitation to grab a beer, Shohei is smitten and admits to Ruka that Emika is really cute. Her type is someone "with life goals," though, so over a soba-noodle lunch, Shohei tells Emika he may have seemed unmotivated before, but when he has a crush on someone, he works hard to impress them.