Honey Lemon Soda episode 10: Ishimori's relentless pursuit of Kai affects both halves of his life

Modified Mar 12, 2025 21:30 GMT

Honey Lemon Soda episode 10 highlights (Image via J.C. Staff)

Honey Lemon Soda episode 10, titled "The Side of You That No One Knows," aired on March 12, 2025, and depicted Ishimori's return to school after the events of episode 9. While the previous few episodes focused solely on Ishimori's feelings and her relationships with various people, episode 10 took a different route and centered on Kai's perspective.

Honey Lemon Soda episode 10 revealed how practically no one knows much about Kai—what he does, where he lives, and his peculiar habit of sleeping through class.

The episode also showed that Kai was trying to create distance between himself and Ishimori, closing off the feelings approaching his heart. However, Ishimori pulled Kai out of his slump, much like he did for her in the past few episodes.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Honey Lemon Soda episode 10.

Honey Lemon Soda episode 10 highlights

Kai as shown in the anime (Image via J.C. Staff)

Honey Lemon Soda episode 10 started off with Ishimori returning to her school for the first time since the events of episode 9. Although Ishimori was rather relaxed, she realized that she had reached school earlier than anyone else out of nervousness.

Eventually, the rest of the students reached school, planning to welcome Ishimori back. Ishimori ended up surprising them and thanking them for their efforts in episode 9. Ayumi and the rest of Ishimori's friends mentioned that she didn’t need to thank them at all.

Ishimori as shown in the anime (Image via J.C. Staff)

The episode then went through a small time skip, where the entire seating arrangement was changed once again, separating Ishimori and Kai from their adjacent seats. Eventually, Ishimori found Kai sleeping on the school desks after school hours, only for Kai to jolt awake.

Eventually, both of them left to go to karaoke while Ishimori questioned Kai about his sleeping habit. Unfortunately, Kai hadn't visited his storage room and was planning on visiting that place at a later date. Ishimori went on to mention that she would also visit the room alongside him and make sure not to be a nuisance.

After reaching the karaoke, Ishimori once again came across her middle school bullies. The bullies did not entertain Ishimori's attempts at conversation and started questioning Kai's place among the rest of the students. They mentioned how Kai hung around with rather shady individuals during the night and how no one knew the real Kai.

Ishimori's bullies as shown in the anime (Image via J.C Staff)

At a later date, Ishimori learned that Kai's storage room was now off-limits due to a report made by Kai himself. Realizing that Kai was attempting to distance and close himself away from her, she tracked Kai to his workplace. A few of Kai's associates misidentified Ishimori as Kai's stalker and approached her with hostility, only for Kai to defuse the situation.

Later, Ishimori confronted Kai about his actions and his attempts at closing himself off, emphasizing that she wouldn’t lose hope and would stay on her stubborn pursuit of him. Kai realized that he had made Ishimori grow into such a steadfast and rather stubborn individual.

The episode then cut to Ishimori back at school the next day, awaiting Kai's return. Upon returning, Kai was questioned by his friends about his disappearance and workplace. Honey Lemon Soda episode 10 ended with Kai inviting Ishimori to a different place along with a melon soda, marking Ishimori's success in opening up Kai's heart.

Final Thoughts

Ishimori and Kai's friends as shown in the anime (Image via J.C. Staff)

Honey Lemon Soda episode 10 broke away from the usual formula and focused mainly on Kai’s personality while subtly hinting at his complex circumstances. Although Kai and Ishimori’s relationship became slightly strained throughout the episode, their bond grew stronger thanks to Ishimori’s persistence.

Episode 11 will be released on March 19, 2025, and will focus on the rest of the characters who have a potential relationship with Kai.

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Edited by Ameen Fatima