WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki Episode 8, "There Are Some Problems a Bottom-Tier Character Can't Fix Alone," now streaming on Funimation.
In the wake of Tomozaki and Mimimi's loss in a hard-fought Student Council campaign against Hinami in Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Tomozaki learns that Mimimi is working harder than ever to keep up with Hinami. Though she remains her jovial self on the outside, internally she's struggling to accept another second-place finish. By staying late at track practice and falling asleep in class, Mimimi is fast pushing herself towards a breaking point in Episode 8.
In an attempt to help, Tomozaki seeks information on Mimimi's past and learns about her history with Hinami. Mimimi has viewed Hinami as both a role model and a rival to overcome ever since a middle school basketball tournament. Hinami's team defeated Mimimi's in the final -- but while her teammates were delighted just to make the finals, Mimimi was upset at their willingness to accept being second best. Hinami represents the gold standard that Mimimi works so hard to attain.
The two girls became fast friends at their high school entrance ceremony. Hinami remembered Mimimi from the tournament and connected through their shared motivation to be the best. But in everything they do -- sporting events, grades and the Student Council election -- Hinami always wins. Despite their expertise in separate track events, Hinami finishes first in Mimimi's event as well as her own. No matter how hard Mimimi works, she can't quite reach Hinami's seemingly insurmountable standards. And after years of toiling, she's finally approaching her mental limit.
Tomozaki and Tama notice Mimimi is staying even later after school to run with Hinami, then showing up earlier for morning practices. Unknown to the others, she also occasionally trains in the middle of the night. Tomozaki reaches out one afternoon to try and get her to open up, talking about the Student Council election. He's satisfied that they did their best, but that isn't good enough for Mimimi. She wants her accomplishments to be remembered and fears that constantly finishing in second will result in her being forgotten.
Unfortunately, Tomozaki's initial efforts are futile as Mimimi's exhaustion and mental state finally cause her to quit the track team. She claims she'll be happier taking it easy but the others know it isn't true. Meanwhile, Hinami knows there's an issue but fears her involvement would only make matters worse. Tomozaki realizes that even if he can't help Mimimi directly, there's someone else who can. One afternoon as she's about to leave school with some friends, Tomozaki openly asks her to walk with him and Tama instead. Struck by his boldness, she agrees.
At the park, Mimimi breaks down in tears, upset that nothing she does ever seems to be good enough and admitting that a part of her resents Hinami's untouchability. She loves Hinami as a friend and is ashamed of her feelings, but her honesty is cathartic. Tomozaki laid the groundwork by inviting the other two and then wisely stays silent as Tama takes over. She calls Mimimi her hero, saying that she's already memorable for her own incredible work rate and extending the hand of friendship when Tama was all alone.
There's much more to life than finishing first, and the immediately visible accolades aren't necessarily the most memorable -- or valuable. It's a lesson Mimimi finally understands as she rejoins the track team and resolves to keep doing her best, but at her own pace. Despite saying very little, Tomozaki's good heart and his decision to get Tama involved were key to helping a friend in need.
