Fading Threads of Happiness: My Dress-Up Darling's Melancholy"

A young Wakana is shown by his grandfather Kaoru the Hina dolls that he and his friends made and Wakana is captivated by them. This inspires him to create his own Hina dolls, but his friend disapproves of his love of dolls as it's a girl thing and ends her friendship with him. In the present, Wakana wakes up from the noise by his phone alarm and says good morning to the head of the doll that inspired him into pursuing doll crafting. Heading downstairs, Wakana says good morning to his grandfather and prays to the altar of his parents and grandmother. As breakfast is prepared, Wakana talks with his grandfather about him burdening himself with his work late at night, to which, Wakana brushes off. Noting that Wakana doesn't have much talent for creating doll faces, but the costumes he creates are excellent. The conversation then changes to if Wakana has any friends, to which, Wakana blurts out that he does they're just all busy with their own things. Afterward, Wakana heads to school and in an inner monologue admits that even in high school, he doesn't have any friends. The cause for this is mainly due to his obsession with Hina dolls as it's not a common interest with his peers. As Wakana laments over his shortcomings, Marin flies backward on his desk banging her head on it. Apologizing for the incident Marin notices some black ink on his left arm figuring it's a cut of the sort. Flustered, Wakana responds that it's fine despite it not being so, however, Marin understands and leaves. Wakana then cogitates about the ink on his arm and notes his envy of Marin how a lot of personality quirks that she has he lacks. At the front of the room, Nowa tells her friends about an incident involving her and Marin. Apparently, the two got their hair done the day before and when a guy tried to hit on Marin, he disparaged her charms as lame, so Marin retorts that he was lame and left the salon leaving the man despondent. In her defense, Marin claims that the man interpreted as something she was not and that he shouldn't judge her for her interests. Hearing this strikes a chord with Wakana who overhears their conversation and thinks even though she's in a separate world from his, they have a commonality between them. After school, Wakana stays behind to put the chairs on their desks and is soon joined by Marin who helps him, because she has cleaning duty that week. Curious to know why he's there, Marin asks if Wakana was pressured to work there and he reluctantly admits that he was. It was his being told that he's so reliable that he agrees to do it. Marin argues that they don't think he's reliable, they think it's easy for them to exploit him to do menial labor. She follows up by saying he should stand up for himself more and continues working. That night at his home, Wakana cuts his hand and as his grandfather gets a bandaid for him, he recalls what Marin said to him earlier that day. He then realizes that the sowing machine he was using was broken. Wakana tells his grandfather who returns with a bandaid about this and he says that they'll need to get a new one. Sad that he doesn't have a sewing machine to use, Wakana has an epiphany to use the one at his school. The following day, Wakana uses the sewing machine in the sewing practice room and is impressed by how easy it is to use. While he's enamored by his doll's head, Marin abruptly enters the room causing an awkward pregnant pause between the two. Amid this, Wakana nearly drops his doll's head and talks with it only to realize that Marin not only saw, but also heard him, and glares at him. Believing it's all over for him, on the contrary, Marin loves the fact that he can use a sewing machine. Not only that, but Marin compliments the Hina doll head that Wakana caries around which internally elates him. When asked by Marin if he made it, Wakana answers that his grandfather made it and that he's only good with costumes. Hearing this, Marin starts to strip out of her clothes and has him see her wearing the black outfit she's been making. Shown an example of what she was trying to copy, Wakana speaks unintentionally curtly by reviewing the outfit, hurting Marin's feelings. Prostating himself to Marin, she forgives him and claims that she made her outfit as a form of cosplay of a character named Shizuku-tan. Because she doesn't have a sewing machine at home and her skill with sewing is lacking, she begs Wakana to create her outfit for her. Moved by not only her compliment from earlier but also everything that he recalled that she said that resonated with him. Wakana agrees to help Marin, but admits he's never made clothing for a human before. This makes Marin overjoyed and offers to help as best as she can and also divulges the character's backstory, which irks Wakana.