That is what makes Hikari a great character (honestly it is his natural charisma to reference the other thread), though it ultimately made things worse for him in this episode. He was able to slip right back into things almost immediately, which is why so many of the side characters acted like nothing had changed and their connection to Hikari hadn't altered.

It's true that for Hikari, it didn't, but the other people didn't realize that they had changed, which brought additional stress to Hikari. Thankfully, he's nothing if not persistent and resilient, falling into a new stable pattern by the end of the episode.

I also agree with him that Chisaki might be the only person he knows who didn't change, she just got more attractive to others. She is still constantly fussing about where she fits in and where she wants to be, who she wants to be. Physically she's changed, emotionally, a lot less so.

Tsumugu had some damn fine lines in his pursuit of Chisaki.

I'm interested to see Sayu blow up next episode. Miuna has it good now. She's the same age, she lives with him, her feelings haven't changed at all, and she presently doesn't have any competition (Chisaki wouldn't dare and Tsumugu would be more active in his own pursuit even if she did). It's not surprising that Sayu, still waiting for her undersea prince to be upset while Miuna gets to be happy. She's still a lovesick spaz after all, just like I hoped. Perhaps she has been preparing for years to show that she is a "mature" and pure maiden, and her serious attitude has all been a sham.