WARNING: The following contains spoilers for My Senpai is Annoying Episode 7, "Here and Now," now streaming on Funimation.
Futaba Igarashi has a lot to prove to her co-workers, and recent flashbacks make it clear she has a lot to prove to herself, too. For the most part, Futaba has established herself as a tough and independent person who loves a challenge, but even she has some hidden vulnerabilities, such as with her hobbies.
At the office, everyone looks up to Harumi Takeda as an experienced and reliable co-worker, including Futaba, but Episode 7 of My Senpai is Annoying shows how Futaba can also be inspiring. Years ago in middle school, she helped her friend Natsumi Kurobe start a new hobby of her own.
Futaba and her friend Natsumi Kurobe meet with Toko Sakurai and her little brother Yuto at a restaurant, and both Sakurais learn how Futaba and Natsumi met. Years ago, the two of them attended the same middle school, and the flashback establishes Natsumi as a delinquent; a roguish girl who can't be bothered to show up to class or devote herself to anything constructive. By contrast, Futaba nurses a passion for sketching and art, and she signs up for the school's art club. Conversely, Natsumi refuses to join any club -- until Futaba's hobby is threatened.
Two boys corner Futaba and tease her about her drawings, reducing Futaba to tears. Natsumi intervenes and fights off the boys, as she can't stand seeing someone else getting bullied for defending their hobby. Futaba later thanks Natsumi for the help, and that incident, combined with some encouraging words from Futaba, prompt Natsumi to choose a hobby of her own. She joins the track team and devotes herself to running, which she has some talent for. Ever since then, Natsumi has enjoyed running and identifies with it.
In the present day, Natsumi enjoys jogging and running more than ever, and now it's her turn to inspire someone else. Toko Sakurai's kid brother Yuto has a passion for sports too, but the boy is afraid to try out for the basketball team and make a fool of himself. This has been eating away at him for a while until he meets Natsumi during her evening jog. Natsumi shares some encouraging words with Yuto, and Yuto agrees to take his hobby to the next level.
Clearly, Futaba and Natsumi are generous and uplifting people, even if the former is a defensive tsundere and the latter has a punkish streak, and that balances out their characters well. Futaba wants badly to prove herself, but she won't forget about everyone else in the process. She can set aside her insecurities long enough to help other people deal with theirs, and Natsumi paid it forward years later with Yuto. This generous spirit is similar to how Futaba quickly repaid Takeda for taking care of her while she was ill, and also how she bought him a charming Christmas gift. Futaba is well-rounded as a josei heroine -- a hardworking employee with her own strengths and weaknesses.
