It’s interesting to get some background information on how Miki was in middle school. She is a huge contrast to how her fake personality is now. As of now, she is labeled as the school idol of sorts. Minato was her first connection, and from this episode we can tell she has feelings for her.
For Minato he is quite the extrovert. He really seems to interact with people that isolate themselves, which is why Koyun is on his mind a lot. However, unlike other girls, Koyun really has her defenses down, and how Minato acts does not help matters one bit. Given how things are low-key between Minato and Miki it really gives the feeling that once Minato makes a connection with someone, he loses interest in them. Outside of hanging out as friends.
The comment that Minato pities them could be a self-reflection of his loneliness. He puts up a wall like with his ex-girlfriend, and such, he tries to help people who seem isolated. Of course this leads to many unhealthy relationships, which is why Koyun feels very uncomfortable around him. Unlike Youta, Minato doesn’t feel genuine. Though Miki’s feelings are showing up increasingly throughout the episode.
Matsumoto-sensei offered some great words on why Koyun is always around teachers more than kids her age: because a teacher and student relationship is one with boundaries that are pretty well defined. While with students, it is more vague. For Koyun, who pushes people away, speaking to teachers is easier for her. It is understandable to be concerned why Koyun isn’t around other students, but at the same time there has to be a reason for it. Adults need to guide students and help them tackle the problems of why they do certain actions rather than telling them they should be doing this instead.
