Haruchika - Episode 8 - Searching for the First Lover with Rice Balls?

It seems that this episode made it obvious that it will be about rice balls.

Now that Chika and Haruta managed to bring Kaiyu, Naoko’s childhood friend back to school, it’s time to solve the mystery regarding her aunt.

It seems that things are finally coming together for the band. Aside from gaining a few more members, it seems that the songs for the competition is finally decided. Not to mention, it seems that Naoko is helping Chika out with the music. In exchange, she wants Chika and Haruta find out who is her aunt’s first love as the First Love Investigation Club gets involved and her aunt tells a story.

Yep, so many rice balls, but apparently forest children eat them too. — Apparently forest children eat them too.

The story that her aunt told was about the so-called 8 forest children that involved a high school girl who ran away from home and got lost in the forest. Apparently, she meets a group of animal like people who were eating rice balls. Eventually, she befriends one that looks like a bear named Benjant. She and Benjant makes rice balls and the girl was directed to serve hers to the bird while he serves his to his members. One day, she decided to taste Benjant’s rice ball without realizing that he came in. He lashed out at her and they were separated ever since.

I have to admit that Chika's reaction when she saw Naoko was cute. — I have to admit that Chika’s reaction when she saw Naoko was cute.

While the story is strange, the First Love Investigation Club remade the rice ball exactly like the one from her story and Naoko’s aunt tasted it. While they made it exactly the same, she said it tasted different. From her reaction, it seems that she realized something, which causes Naoko to become worried.

It seems that Chika found another girl to hug. — It seems that Chika has found another girl to hug.

From the looks of it, this mystery seemed straight forward and strange at the same time. It looks like the rice balls that Benjant served to the 8 children caused them to die while the birds lived on. In other words, Naoko has nothing to be worried about. It seems that Benjant didn’t want the girl to eat the poisoned which is possibly why he lashed out at her so they become separated. Even if he poisoned the food for revenge, I wonder what his motives were aside from the “Pure Star?” I guess we’ll never know, but at least Naoko can have a sigh of relief that her aunt found out who was her first lover and yes, Chika hugs her on the train. Has Chika replaced Miyoko as her hugging partner? Who knows.