The following contains spoilers for Season 2, Episode 4 of Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro!, "Why Don't You Come Inside, Senpai-kun?," now streaming on Crunchyroll.

Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro! has returned in the Winter 2023 anime lineup, and like in the first season, Season 2 mostly involves the hiyakasudere Hayase Nagatoro pestering her senpai to playfully vent her romantic feelings for him. Usually, Naoto Hachioji the senpai is on the defensive, but in Episode 4, he and Nagatoro have a fairer fight.

Naoto and Nagatoro don't typically argue or yell at each other. Instead, their clashes are gentle and indirect, such as with fighting games. That's what they did back in an early Season 1 episode, and now, they're at it again -- with a prize on the line. If Naoto wins, he can get the edge on Nagatoro, but he might not be the type to do such a thing.

RELATED: Nagatoro & Iruma-Kun! Show What Happens When Heroes Bond Over Shojo Manga

Naoto & Nagatoro Fight on Even Ground

Hayase with video game screen

Episodes 3 and 4 both involve Naoto, better known to most characters as Senpai, visiting the Nagatoro household after learning that Nagatoro caught a nasty cold. After meeting her hiyakasudere big sister Misaki, Naoto finally meets Hayase, and after an awkward first encounter, she warmly welcomes her favorite senpai to the Nagotoro house. At first, they both feel awkward and unsure of themselves, especially with Misaki teasing both of them, but then Hayase invites Naoto to a few rounds of their favorite fighting game. After winning the first few fights, Nagatoro makes it interesting and offers a prize if Naoto can beat her in the game: she will tell him one personal secret.

Naoto and Nagatoro also trade verbal barbs during their digital clash, which is typical of them. Naoto usually just tries to escape Nagatoro's hiyakasudere wrath, but now, he stands up to her with his words and video game character alike -- a rare example of Naoto giving as good as he gets. It's like a very watered-down Kaguya-sama, with two amorous teenagers using tricks and deflections to express themselves without giving too much away, and for once, Naoto wins. He keeps Nagatoro distracted long enough for the game timer to reach zero, with Naoto's character winning by default. He brushes off Nagatoro's PG-13 suggestions for the prize and instead asks to learn her first name, which is more meaningful than it may seem at first.

RELATED: One Piece Chapter 1072 Recap & Spoilers: The Weight of Memory

The Romantic Connotations of Naoto's Request

senpai talking with hayase

For many Western anime fans watching Nagatoro!, Naoto's request may seem trivial. He simply wants to know Nagatoro's first name, which is his idea of an innocent and harmless prize for winning a round in the fighting game. Nagatoro plays it cool and pretends it's no big deal, but for both of them, it actually is. Japanese names work differently than Western ones, and not just because of the family-personal name order. Typically, two casual acquaintances, such as classmates, will call each other by their last names with proper honorifics, if not titles such as senpai, and first names must be "unlocked," in a sense. Not just anyone can call any other given Japanese individual by their first name.

Addressing someone by their first name is something that's socially earned, and it suggests closeness to that person, even intimacy. Some anime characters make a big fuss about allowing someone they know to use their first name and may feel bashful when they're called by it. Such a scene took place in Komi Can't Communicate, for example, when Shoko Komi allowed Tadano to call her "Shoko" for once. Now Naoto may do the same with Nagatoro after his rare victory against her, but he won't actually press the issue.

Naoto is a total dandere, and even when he has the advantage on Nagatoro for once and puts her on the defensive, he's a shy young gentleman who won't push things just because he can. Ultimately, in Episode 4, he doesn't call Nagatoro by her first name, but as he's walking home, he says "Hayase" to himself anyway, proving he did learn it after all. For Naoto, this minor victory is enough, and for the foreseeable future, Nagatoro shall simply be Nagatoro, his obnoxious underclassman -- and not quite yet his intimate lady friend Hayase.