The following contains spoilers for “Dream,” season 2, episode 9 of Oshi no Ko, now streaming on HIDIVE.

From episode 9 onwards, the story arc of Tokyo Blade Oshi no Ko is coming to an end. Interestingly, while episode 9 ended this arc, it didn’t really resolve many plot threads, so many mysteries and conflicts remain in the next arc and perhaps beyond. One example is the love triangle between Kana Arima and Akane Kurokawa, who are fighting over Aqua Hoshino. This love triangle quickly develops into something completely different, as episode 9 shows.

That being said, Aqua seems torn about how and why to act as a performer, which seems to conflict with the final scene of episode 8, where Aqua discusses method acting and his traumatic memories of Ai Hoshino’s murder. Aqua can’t seem to decide what Ai’s murder means to him as a performer and as a reincarnated person, and that may distract him as he continues to seek revenge on Ai’s killer. Finally, as the Tokyo Blade story arc ends and the next one quietly begins, Aqua gets a new clue in his quest – and this one is more personal than anything he’s seen so far.

Aqua turns to method acting when he sees his mother in Akane’s role

Aqua can’t decide whether to keep his emotions out of his performance

The previous episode of Oshi no Ko was called “Trigger” because Aqua had a hard time dealing with the horrific memories of his idol mother’s murder, which became a real trigger for him when he was rehearsing Tokyo Blade. On one hand, performers are allowed to use personal experiences to shape and design their acting on stage, and that includes anger and grief, among other things. Unfortunately for Aqua, these memories set off triggers for him, meaning method acting is not an option for him. Or at least it seemed that way in earlier episodes, only for things to seemingly change in episode 9. Aqua once tried to undermine the concept of method acting by hating acting and keeping his personal experiences out of it, which almost seemed like anti-acting if there was such a thing. Now Aqua seems to be doing method acting for real.

In episode 9, Aqua thinks back to his deceased idol mother and then sees her again when Akane Tokyo Blade Character commits a self-sacrificing act. Akane’s character, Princess Saya, uses a special sword scabbard to absorb any injuries sustained in battleto ensure peace at the expense of her own safety. Aqua can’t help but compare this to Ai, who suffers fatal stab wounds to protect her young children from harm, and this drives Aqua’s actions when his character Touki cries out for Saya’s sake. This doesn’t cause Aqua to have a panic attack or break down, although Oshi no Ko recently suggested that something like this was likely to happen.

It is not yet 100% certain whether Aqua’s memories of Ai’s death will continue to destabilize him like they did earlier in Season 2, and it is not entirely clear whether or not Aqua will continue to use anti-acting to survive in this industry. Not even a quick flashback to his younger days with Ai can remove this uncertainty, but with Tokyo Blade over now, it might not be a problem for Aqua for a while. On a somewhat related note, there is also debate over whether Aqua will end his quest for revenge or start his new life as Aquamarine Hoshino, forgetting his old Dr. Gorou self.

It seems likely that Aqua will continue to seek revenge for the sake of the plot. In episode 9, he reminds himself not to enjoy his new life too much to distract himself. On the other hand, Ais murder moves further and further into the pastand Aqua’s original Dr. Gorou self is even further away. It is possible that no matter what his intentions are, he will completely become Aqua Hoshino and live his normal life, forgetting all subversion and revenge.

Kana Arima and Akane Kurokawa love their rivalry more than Aqua

The girls have to think not only about their dating life but also about their own careers

Towards the end of the first season Oshi no Ko Kana Arima and Akane Kurokawa become both professional and romantic rivalsbut season 2 took things in a different direction, and episode 9 continues that trend. In fact, Akane and Kana don’t have much in common as romantic rivals, as they can be better defined as professional rivals. Each tries to outdo the other with their respective skills and ideas, such as Kana unleashing her pent-up talent as the “sun” that Akane admires so much. Aqua is mostly just a spectator, despite being the third member of this love triangle, and Kana and Akane merely use Aqua’s character as a reason to do their best with their own characters.

Of course, Akane still cares deeply for Aqua as she is his devoted girlfriend, but she doesn’t seem to feel threatened by Kana, the romantic rival. Akane is more focused on Kana, the professional rival, and is determined to face the sun-like Kana at her best and win. Meanwhile, Kana is no longer holding back and is shining brightly in Tokyo Bladeand that makes her the real star. As of episode 9, Akane doesn’t seem to mind as much as Kana reclaims her place as the most dazzling and profound actress on the stage, while Kana is thrilled by her performances but also exhausted. As Tokyo Blade done, neither Kana nor Akane make any special movement towards Aqua.

This strongly suggests that the love triangle idea in previous episodes was overblown and partially just a product of Mem-Cho’s eager imagination. The reality is that both Kana and Akane are compelling as characters because they both strive for greatness despite the subversions of their industry, with Kana trying to reclaim her former glory and Akane fighting hard as an outsider. Additionally, Kana is now free to resume her idol work with B-Komachi alongside Ruby Hoshino and Mem-Cho, and time will tell how Akane Kurokawa will advance her own career. Between her jobs, Akane may actually settle for the role as Aqua’s partner and lover, supporting him in his continued quest for revenge. If that’s the case, the rivalry between Akane and Kana may soon be put on hold, especially with the narrative now shifting towards Aqua’s quest for revenge and away from potential love triangles.

In total, Akane and Kana seem to grow as they continue their professional love life and focus less on the fight for Aqua. This is because Akane briefly steals the show in episode 9 by playing the fallen princess Saya, giving Aqua a chance to back up her solid acting performance with a good performance of her own. Meanwhile, Kana, in a somewhat surprising move, humbles herself by saying that she not a genius, no matter what people call her. This means that Kana will continue to value the virtue of hard work and take nothing for granted, and that is exactly the attitude any rival of Akane should have. Therefore, Episode 9 promises even more personal and professional growth for Akane and Kana in future storylines. For now, however, the spotlight is back on Aqua.

Aqua gets a clue on his revenge campaign

This also expands Aqua’s family tree

Some scenes in earlier episodes of the second season reminded fans that Aqua Hoshino is still fixated on avenging his deceased motherand Episode 9 gets the storyline moving again. As Aqua intended, he has the Tokyo Blade production to get closer to the right people, and in episode 9 he makes his move. He wants to ask director Toshiro Kindaichi about Ai and her time in the Lala Lai theater group, and find out who she fell in love with. Aqua asks this during a celebratory dinner at the restaurant, but Mr. Kindaichi politely but firmly refuses to answer the question. So it’s up to Taiki Himekawa, a fellow actor, to get the truth out of Mr. Kindaichi.

Taiki’s plan is to take Mr. Kindaichi to a dimly lit bar and get him drunk enough to reveal the truth, but unfortunately for Aqua, Mr. Kindaichi doesn’t reveal anything and then falls asleep, too drunk to talk. Still, this isn’t a complete dead end for Aqua, as he has some test results that point him in a different direction. Until Aqua can question Toshiro Kindaichi, he’ll make do with Taiki himself, according to the two young men’s conversation at the end of episode 9.

The episode ends with the shocking twist that according to a blood test Aqua and Taiki are half-brothers with the same father. Aqua demands that Taiki explain everything he knows about his father, and the episode ends on that cliffhanger. No doubt this storyline will play a major role in this new storyline, whether or not Aqua finds out the name of his father and his mother’s killer. The grim tension is back in full force here Oshi no Koand no amount of silly antics from B-Komachi can distract viewers from that fact for very long.