Does Ouka have a chance to win?

🌸 First, the recipe for Hayato’s favorite mixed rice dish was passed down to Ouka by Grandma Sachiko. According to Ouka, this is the only dish she learned from Grandma and the only one that she alone can cook. → Why was such an emotionally significant dish (a childhood memory for Hayato) entrusted to Ouka? Why did Grandma choose Ouka—the worst cook among the five girls—to teach this dish instead of Shiragiku or someone else? More importantly, why was Ouka the one Grandma entrusted with the promise to cook this dish for Hayato if something were to happen to her? This was a deeply personal promise meant specifically for Hayato, unlike Shiragiku’s promise to “always have the whole family gathered for meals.”

🌸 Next, let's talk about Hayato's responses to confessions: For Riho, Akane, and Shiragiku, while they haven’t received a clear answer from Hayato yet, at least we know how Hayato reacted to them. However, with Ouka, we still don’t know how Hayato was going to respond because she cut him off before he could say anything (Chapter 119). More importantly, right after Ouka’s first confession (Chapter 113), we got Rei’s confession (Chapter 114), which Hayato immediately rejected outright. → This reaction is in complete contrast to how he responded to Ouka’s confession. Also, in that same chapter after rejecting Rei, it was hinted that Hayato had already started falling for one of the five girls. The fact that this pivotal moment happened immediately after Ouka's confession is worth noting.

🌸 Then, there’s the event where Kikka disguised herself as Ouka and asked Hayato to answer Ouka’s confession (Chapter 173). Hayato instantly saw through her disguise, but what’s more important here is not that he could tell them apart, but rather, his response to Kikka’s question. When Kikka asked Hayato if she could take Ouka’s place if Ouka were to leave and never return, Hayato firmly answered: “To me, Ouka is unique. No one can replace her.” → Now, considering Hayato’s personality, you’d expect him to say something like, “You have your own value, Kikka. You don’t exist to replace someone else.” or something along those lines. But instead, he only emphasized that Ouka is irreplaceable to him and didn’t say anything else. Even more suspicious is how Kikka hid this answer from Ouka. Instead of telling her exactly what Hayato said, she simply told Ouka, “I bet Hayato likes you, sis,” and said she would support her. → Why hide it? If Hayato’s words weren’t important, why would the author make Kikka keep it a secret? His statement carried strong romantic undertones—was there a deeper meaning behind it?

🌸 Lastly, in Chapter 1, while Hayato did feel a little nostalgic seeing the fallen Familia sign, it’s very possible that he would have still gone through with selling the café if Akane hadn’t told Ouka to make mixed rice for him. That dish—the one Ouka made for him—was the final push that made Hayato decide to keep the café and temporarily put his university plans on hold.

🌸 Furthermore, Ouka is currently the only one who hasn’t had a birthday celebration yet. Could there be something special planned for her birthday arc?

🌸 There are also several other details, such as how Hayato seems to tease Ouka more often than the others. Notably, when Hayato suffered a psychological shock after their trip (Chapter 117), he only called out Ouka’s name.

P/s: There are many more small interactions between the two, but if I were to list them all, it would take too long 🥹