By Episode 4, it’s all but confirmed that Miko is a yokai. Miko doesn’t immediately reveal herself as such but the signs are now at their most obvious. Shiori realizes that Miko can see yokai and she deduces that she couldn’t sense that Miko is one because she’s able to mask her scent. Miko meanwhile drops any pretense that she’s Hinako’s clueless best friend and admits that she’s the one killing all the yokai trying to eat Hinako. The change in demeanor is portrayed terrifically by Fairouz Ai, by the way. One curious line in this scene is Miko stating that she aims to protect Hinako. I first assumed this mean that she’s in the same boat as Shiori, keeping Hinako safe from the other yokai so that she can enjoy a good meal later, but I’m a little doubtful about that after seeing the last segment of the episode. More on that in a bit.
Hinako returns to the scene before Shiori and Miko could duke it out. While Miko runs off with Hinako to grab a snack, Shiori takes the opportunity to sneak into the faculty’s office to steal the school’s student records and investigate Miko. She later meets up with Miko and Hinako at the docks to present her findings. Turns out, Miko used special yokai magic to fake her student record, in order to blend in with humans. Hinako is doubtful at first but she soon begins to believe Shiori when the mermaid asks if she’s ever been to Miko’s place or met her friend’s family and she realizes she hasn’t. A flashback scene then shows a young Hinako meeting Miko for the first time. Curiously, Miko looks the exact same as she does in the present. Regardless, this scene contradicts Hinako’s memories of Miko in Episode 3 and it suggests that she actually hasn’t known Miko for as long as she “remembers”. With Miko no longer able to keep her identity a secret, she begrudgingly reveals to Hinako that she’s actually a kitsune (and a huge one at that).
I really enjoyed this scene. Seeing Hinako gradually put two and two together in front of Miko, unsure what exactly the latter will do next. It makes for some very effective drama. I also appreciate how, despite this moment being the big Miko twist the show has been building up towards, it still manages to elicit some sympathy for the character. Like, Miko could very well be dangerous and Shiori is maybe in the right in exposing her as such. And yet, I still feel bad for her as Shiori proceeds to ruin her day and she has to accept that things between her and Hinako won’t be the same again. I must say, Miko’s true form makes for a good reveal too. That’s maybe a more superficial compliment but honestly, there hasn’t been any fancy yokai designs in this show and we still have yet to explicitly see Shiori’s true form in all its mermaid glory. It’s awfully refreshing then to see the show go all out and make Miko this menacing kitsune that completely towers over her costars. More yokai like this, please.
The last segment of the episode is a little weird. Rather than end on the expected cliffhanger of Shiori going mermaid mode to protect Hinako from Miko, the plot comes to a sudden halt and it instead treats us with a flashback where Miko rigorously trains Hinako into becoming a good cook. I was pretty confused at first but I warmed up to the segment by the end. For one, it is pretty entertaining. I chuckle at Miko going to great lengths honing Hinako’s cooking skills when she could use all that time and energy mastering cooking herself. Two, this segment surprisingly serves a purpose. It is Hinako and Miko being silly together but given what’s going in the present, it’s actually important that we get to see something like this. It implies that whatever Miko’s true intentions may be, there may have also been something genuine between her and Hinako.
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