Horikawa Mitsuru, a high school student, works at Ryokushou with Itsuka. Seeing the two of them chatting happily together by the sink makes Nagomu feel a little jealous. While Mitsuru works part-time at Rykoushou to help supplement her large family's finances, she's also actively making music. And her musical activities kick up some trouble.

Everyone at Ryokushou is participating in the Miyama school district's sports festival. Itsuka feels shy and awkward around Nagomu, causing her to adopt a brusque manner toward him. But in his loud cheers of encouragement she feels the warmth of family. Nagomu's father, Heigo, gets overly fired up and ends up hurting himself. Nagomu and Itsuka have to step up to take his and Nagomu's place in the parent-child event. Meanwhile, at Ryokushou, a woman calling herself Itsuka's mother appears.

The new year begins, and as Ryokushou welcomes it they sell a sweet called hanabira mochi. They only made enough to accommodate their advance orders, but a man without a reservation suddenly appears. After hearing the man's feelings toward his late mother, Nagomu makes a decision to... Later, everyone from Ryokushou goes to Yamakuni Jinja for hatsumode—the first sacred visit of the year.