When Rei visits the Kawamoto's, Hinata talks to him about school. Little by little, she tells Rei about the classroom atmosphere, how there are “rules” that dictate who is allowed to laugh at a certain volume and how carefree the students may be in the classroom. One day during lunch, the baseball team’s ace and all-around popular guy, Takahashi, pops into Hinata's class to invite her to play catch. He encourages her to leave the classroom, after hearing from Rei about Hinata's situation.