Girlfriend, Girlfriend: Naoya Saves His Stalker – But… Why?

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 6 of Girlfriend, Girlfriend, "Tsun Is Dere" now streaming on Crunchyroll.

In Episode 4 of Girlfriend, Girlfriend, Naoya found himself a new member of his ever-growing harem: Rika. After Naoya promises to keep her secret of being a famous MeTuber, she starts to fall for him -- much to the displeasure of Saki and Nagisa, his already-established girlfriends. But Rika is a tough nut to crack and becomes incredibly persistent, which is why Episode 6 begins with her camping outside of Naoya's house, unwilling to give up on winning his affections.

Though Naoya doesn't currently have feelings toward Rika, he definitely doesn't want her camping in his yard. His pleas for her to give up don't register, however, and she remains committed. This is what makes Naoya's actions later in Episode 6 so surprising.

Naoya's harem in Girlfriend, Girlfriend.

Rika has fully dedicated herself to winning Naoya's heart, even purchasing expensive camping equipment so she can continue to be as close to him as possible. But she forgets to tell her actively worried father where she's staying, so he ends up on the streets searching for her. He eventually finds his daughter as Naoya, Nagisa, and Saki are in the midst of carting her belongings away in the hopes she will leave the premises.

Not only is Rika's father extremely angry at her for basically running away and not saying anything, but he winds up discovering her MeTube channel. Normally this wouldn't be such a terrible thing, but Rika, under the stage name Milika, uses her shapely figure to bait views. When he finds out just how much of herself she's presenting on camera, he immediately goes to delete the entire channel and all her videos. Naoya, surprising everyone, steps in and takes the phone out of his hand.

Naoya saves Rika in Girlfriend, Girlfriend.

This is highly surprising for multiple reasons. First, he had just spent the entire day concocting a plan to get Rika out of his hair and off his property. Second, he has made it clear to her and everyone around them that he doesn't currently have feelings for her. So when he steps in between Rika and her father, it's a shock to everyone. Nagisa and Saki are taken aback, knowing this will only further Rika's affections for him as Girlfriend, Girlfriend continues. It's easy to see why -- Naoya's reason for intervening is noble, respectful, and honest.

As he tells Rika's father, she has worked incredibly hard for her channel. Even though she uses her body as clickbait, she puts a lot of content into her videos. She started the channel so she could make some money and develop her own independence. It's clear from Naoya's impassioned speech that he highly respects her hard-working attitude, especially for a high-schooler. He then vows to protect Rika, especially if her father refuses to.

While everything leading up to this moment in Girlfriend, Girlfriend was a surprise, it's not hard to understand why Naoya intervened. Though he may not have romantic feelings for Rika yet, he definitely respects her and thinks her dad's reaction was entirely too much. It seems likely this bold move will make it harder to rid Rika from his life, especially since he vowed to protect her. Both Nagisa and Saki are less than pleased with Naoya's actions, but as always, they'll find a way to make it work.

Heroine Irina in the anime The Moon, Laika, and the Bloodsucking Princess
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