[DreadBringer]

Already called it that the dad Kenji Sunayama is the Malgam. Being pressured to constantly study isn't a good thing.

Obviously Hotaro must be ecstatic here to have his belief validated seeing actual proof in Riku and Sabo's friendship and how it makes Riku happier despite constant pressure. It's viewed as something that validates anyone else's belief too however, like Minato blaming the Chemy in "disrupting" the bond between Riku and Kenji...

Minato's more reasonable in trying to explain their belief clash to Hotaro than Supana who's just all prideful, but he still has prejudice to ignore the fact that, human friends will "tarnish" said bond too, and that the father's the problematic one of being abusive and controlling, which doesn't actually represent a bond, that he's the one needs to loosen up.

Rinne seems to now being conflicted between fulfilling the law and her actual conscience of not involving humans in her job to capture Chemies, as the Dark Sisters are using humans as Malgams. Now Atropos gives me more impression (and likely Clotho next episode) like Lachesis, to have her approach as in testing humans and manipulating them, concluding that humans are easy to control that she can make Rinne look like the aggressor.

Supana further cements his anti-heroic status like many secondaries by refusing to aid amateurs out of pride, despite that people's lives are at stakes, but ofc, Rinne's concern for the innocents made him comply due to his soft spot for her, and even then it's implied that he's doing it out of price too. Renge can be infuriated with Sabi's allergy to people but she seems to cherish him as her partner. Sabi also seems to be developing to actually speak despite using low voice. So it's nice that the cast now seems to get progression.

After Dragonfly Madam was beaten, the resolution was to have the abusive parent and son make up once again like the Kurama family in Geats before (and Riku's kicking the orange juice can as well.... and the girl who hooks up with Kajiki in next episode really looks like Neon), I like that Riku reaffirms his own needs to his dad, that he needs a break too from studying. But of course they don't go beyond why Kenji forces Riku to constantly study other than "for his own good", his future, rather than it's the stereotypical tiger parent that Asians have.