Finally, with the search of sapphires and exams are over, and Ruri and Aoi decide to go to the beach to play in the water. However, when Shoko sees Ruri pick up something from the ocean that looks like a gem, she gets a bit interested for some reason.
Remember the red-haired girl who witnessed Ruri collecting sand with Nagi? She is the focus of this episode. We see a flashback of Shoko collecting stones and showing it to her parents. However, when she showed them off to her classmates during recess, they seemed uninterested. Even asking the teacher about the stone’s appearance elicited a similar response: “That’s nice, put it down,” and then she told her to join the rest of the class. She was crying afterwards when she got home, as nobody understood her love for rocks. Her mother says just be herself.
Even so, her parents say she should give up on her dream of studying rocks and pursue something different. Yep, she doesn’t seem encouraging, but I can see why, given that it doesn’t make that much money. Even so, Shoko still studies rocks as she has a collection in a locked drawer.
With that, we get a nice beach scene as Ruri plays with her friends Aoi and Maika. Yep, she is having a nice time as Ruri lies on the life preserver. That is when she saw something pretty in the water that looked like a gem. When Ruri wants to show it to her friends, they seem more focused on playing a beach ball.
That is when Shoko talks with Ruri as she shows a gem. Shoko said it’s just glass garbage, which is worthless, as she walks away. Ruri doesn’t believe it as she asks Nagi. Even Nagi thinks it’s glass, and not a gem. After telling her that Shoko said the same thing, Imari thinks it’s glass, but not worthless.
Eventually, Shoko runs into Nagi and Imari with Ruri. Yep, they are looking for glass bottles and fragments on the beach when Ruri sees Shouko. They joined in and found various glass bottles and pieces on the beach. They came washed up on shore as glass bottles used to get buried. Somehow, it broke out and went into the ocean until it ended up back on the beach.
The bottles are ancient, given the lack of knurling. In a way, they are a time capsule. They even ask why bottles are blue, and it’s due to the impurities present during the glass-making process. Believe it or not, despite the additives to make glass clear, there may be hints of blue. Eventually, Ruri finds a silver colored glass, but it’s not silver, but comes from the iridescence in the glass itself.
They brought back a nice collection of glass, and Shoko thanked Ruri. Of course, Shoko thanks Imari as she wonders if Imari works at a glass factory. That is when Imari reveals she is a student. Shoko shares that her interest in minerals is that many people don’t understand her interests. She admits she wants to become a mineralogy researcher and asks Imari if it’s challenging to become one. At least she understands and encourages her to do it. After all, one should chase after their dreams and not be deterred by peer pressure. Sure, the road is difficult, but if Shoko can pull it off, it can become a rewarding career. At least it’s nice to see Shoko make new friends who share her interests.
(Also known as Ruri Rocks)
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