See, now THAT is the sort of thing I expected in the first place: a bit of honest connection in shared vulnerability! Even if the clear rejection wasn't on my bingo card. And the narration turns out to be critical of the same reflex I was, good.
I fully expect Ayaka will, of course, not accept this and probably drop something about how "but you're not happy!" But Hiroko did something respectable this chapter and I acknowledge that even if I think she's kind of a fool.