At the start of this episode, Minami is faced with the horrible reality that plagues many other main characters in CGDCT anime (certainly at least the cast of Laid-Back Camp): money. Haruka did give Minami some of her old golfing gear and they appear to be in good condition so Minami won’t necessarily be in the red in that department (watch her break them all in the next episode). There are however other money sinks that Minami has to concern herself with such as the admission fare for the driving range Haruka works at. Given the teaser left in Episode 2, I assumed this is where Ayaka comes into play and that technically does happen in Episode 3. That said, Minami does find work at the driving range. I kind of expected her to clumsily screw things up and get fired but that doesn’t happen in the episode so maybe she’ll work at the range going forward.
On Minami’s first day of work: Ayaka stops by the driving range to practice. Ayaka is revealed to be a college students working as both a model and an influencer. She uses social media and streaming to attract more girls into golf. Right from the get go, Ayaka strikes up a very enthusiastic conversation with Minami, making Haruka seem like the straight man for once. After Ayaka practices for a bit, she wagers a challenge to Minami. Both girls get five attempts to hit a golf ball at a red flag Haruka places on their part of the range and whoever’s closest wins. If Minami wins, then Ayaka promises to hook her up with a high paying gig. If Ayaka wins, then Minami must do a favor for her. I immediately guessed that Ayaka promises the same thing with either outcome and this is later confirmed to be the case at the end of the episode. As for why Ayaka would like that, I think she just wants to have some fun with Minami. The fact that she promises the same thing no matter the result also says a good deal about how much she wants to be Minami’s friend.
Naturally, Ayaka wins the game though not easily as you might expect. I didn’t think she’d be as good as Haruka but I figured she ought to be decent at golf if she really likes the sport and streams about it for a living but she does struggle with her first couple of attempts. Admittedly, the show does suggest that Haruka might’ve made the game more challenging than she should’ve. I like how Minami ends up overshoots her ball to the 100 meter ball, because of course she’d comically lose the game. Poor girl sure has a subconscious obsession with the number 100.
As for what Ayaka had planned for Minami: she reveals that she wants her as well as Haruka to model with her. That’s right, a CGDCT anime involving golf has an episode where the girls put the sport aside and instead show off some fashionable outfits. Most of the attire is golf wear but that does feel like an excuse for the show to get away with some sidetracking. To be fair, this part of the episode does offer some good character development for Minami. The episode makes it abundantly clear that Minami isn’t the best at posing for the camera. Initially, this is used for laughs but it surprisingly becomes relevant when the episode compares it to how flawlessly Ayaka and Haruka do their job. Minami can’t help but think she pales in comparison to her seemingly cooler friends and she starts to question if there’s anything special about her again. This leads to a scene that cements Minami and Ayaka as friends. Ayaka explains that she and Haruka are also still looking for that special something in their lives and she assures Minami that she still has time to find hers and that they can find it together. And regardless if Minami thinks she’s cool or not, it doesn’t change Ayaka’s mind in wanting to be her friend. While the switch to modeling feels a little silly to me, I give it a pass because it does result in an important and effective scene that highlights Ayaka’s character and the positive influence she offers to Minami.
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