That's an Unwavering Truth

is the second episode of the third season of the Fruits Basket 2019 Anime.

Summary
Tohru isn't sure who to talk to, or how many secrets to keep. Meanwhile, one of Shigure's secrets begins coming to light.

Plot
Akito dreams of her younger self asking Shigure if he loves her. He asks if she's been asking everyone, which she ignores and asks again. Shigure picks a flower and gives it to her, saying it's an unwavering truth that he cares about her more than anyone else. Akito awakes on a futon next to Kureno.

Shigure finds Tohru making paper flowers for the graduation ceremony. She recalls Kureno saying Shigure was one of the only zodiacs to know about Akito being a woman and starts to ask him before deciding against it and rushing away to make tea. Shigure and Tohru both muse to themselves that it's a difficult thing to ask about.

At school, everyone is preparing for graduation. Momiji's class is also making flowers and he tells Tohru graduation is an exciting time for them but must be sad for seniors. A distraught Makoto laments that he will have to leave Yuki behind. Haru says he should just repeat a year, making Makoto angry. Momiji says he considered repeating a grade so he could attend school with Momo. Tohru realizes she can't tell Momiji anything she has learned and silently apologizes, unsure of who she can tell and how they would feel about that information.

Motoko, Minami and Mio rush past Tohru in bandanas. Tohru asks what happened and Yusuke explains they stole all the flowers Yuki made. Arisa tells Kyo to make more. Having only finished his own flowers, Kyo refuses before noticing his have been stolen as well, meaning he must completely start over. Since Yuki must attend to student council matters and Kyo has to remake his own, the rest of the group realizes they would have to do it and charge after The Prince Yuki Fan Club, leaving Kyo and Tohru alone in the classroom.

Yuki walks around the school asking if anyone needs help, but they all politely reject him, believing he is too busy. He watches others laughing in the distance. Machi tracks him in the hall and he asks if she needed anything. Machi says no, she wanted to say hello but lost track of him as he kept moving around the campus. He blushes and pats her head saying thanks her for searching for him. In turn she slaps him, dropping the flower in her hand. Yuki notes that it's worse than the ones he made and they walk away together.

Tohru wonders where the rest of the class is, and Kyo assumes they got distracted. Seeing birds outside, Tohru thinks of Kureno and asks Kyo what he would think if one of the zodiac's curse was broken. He says there's no way to know and asks her not to ask hypothetical questions, but starts to panic when he sees his answer made her sad. Kyo continues to fret and apologize while Tohru tries not to cry, thinking. Kyo gives her a paper flower to cheer her up just as the others return.

Shigure brings Akito a paper flower as a gift. She asks if he remembers and he asks what she is referring to. While washing the dishes, Tohru suddenly realizes Isuzu is also desperate to break the curse and decides to visit her.

Mitsuru complains to her boss about meeting Shigure for dinner. She finds him with his parents who tell him to pay respects to Akito before he leaves. Shigure declines and decides to eat elsewhere since the main family is having dinner there. Akito and Kureno see him leaving. Akito remembers her dream and decides to ignore him.

Kureno recalls his phone call with Shigure. Over the phone Shigure told him he should have left Akito, leading Kureno to ask if he figured out about the broken curse. Shigure says it was just a hunch, but that he feels better knowing that's why Akito keeps Kureno close. Kureno told Shigure he knows how he feels about Akito and the hatred he harbors for Kureno. He begs Shigure not to be cold with Akito and tells him Akito doesn't keep him close because she loves him, rather she's always wanted to be with Shigure.

Akito returns home to find Shigure in her room. He apologizes for not greeting her at the restaurant. She asks about the woman he was with and whether he has slept with her yet. He says she's being absurd, but she yells at him because he slept with Ren. Shigure says he already was punished for that, and that's why he lives away from the estate.

Akito is furious with him for leaving without a fight, saying he always wanted to leave and likes Ren more. Shigure repeats that he cares about her more than anyone and it was an unwavering truth. She says she thought he forgot and asks why he tests her. He says he only slept with Ren because she slept with Kureno. Akito cries she did nothing wrong because as god it is her right to do as she wishes with the members of the zodiac. Shigure starts to leave since the conversation is going nowhere, but Akito pushes him against the wall and kisses him. Shigure says she always denies her womanhood but weaponizes it against him. After the two sleep together, Shigure reflects that he has been waiting for her since that day he confessed.

Tohru goes to Isuzu's school to find her but students in her class say she is on leave at the hospital.

Trivia

 * The episode title is taken from one of Shigure Sohma's lines.

Anime and Manga Differences

 * When Akito awoke after dreaming about her confession to Shigure, she was asleep in a limo with Kureno in the manga instead of in a futon. As a result of the scene change, Kureno informing Akito that they've reached their destination was removed from the anime. This scene was present at the start of Chapter 101.
 * Tohru's hesitance to ask Shigure about Akito's gender and her thoughts pertaining to the issue were cut short in the anime.
 * When Tohru got surprised by Takei's yell about graduating, there was a short bit of her, Momiji, and Takei depicted in stick figure form in the manga.
 * While surprised with Machi seeking him out instead of other students, Yuki recalled seeing the other students he encountered in the manga.
 * The dialogue with the two waitresses in response to Mitsuru's call was added for the anime.

Episodio 52 (2019) C'est la pure et dure vérité エピソード52（2019）