Hanasaku Iroha: Blossoms for Tomorrow Episode Rating Graph

Ohana learns from Yuina that the Fukuya Inn is to be featured in a magazine, taking on a mystery guest. Meanwhile, the Kissuiso gets a sudden surge of customers with Nako and Tōru on their day off, but as Sui prepares to put in her share of the work, she suddenly starts feeling pain and is taken into hospital. After Ohana is told to return to work, she gets a call from Kō, who tries to tell her he is on his way to visit her, but she is unable to hear it. Arriving back, the staff, along with Takako, suspect that the inn may be hosting mystery guests from one of the magazines, suggesting that they prioritize their service over the other customers. However, after finding Sui's accounting book, Ohana stands up against her, saying that all customers need to be treated equal. Needing extra support to deal with the large number of customers, Ohana calls in Nako before going off to find Tōru, who is attending a wedding.

As a result of constantly getting up early to help clean, Ohana collapses with a fever and is told to rest for the day. Tōru makes her some porridge and becomes slightly enamoured by her solemn appearance. Minko starts to become a bit jealous of the attention Tōru gives to Ohana. As various members visit Ohana and tell her to stay in bed, Ohana gets a strange dream where she is at the temple and Kō appears telling her to come back, Kissuisō doesn't need her. There is a little girl and a young fox hiding while watching Ohana. This dream worries Ohana about whether the Kissuisō even needs her. However, just as she is writing out a text to Kōichi about possibly going home, Minko and Nako convince her that she's still needed. She falls asleep and finds herself in the dream again where she tells Kō that she wants to stay at Kissuisō. The little girl and the young fox can still be seen watching her during the dream.

After the Kissuisō gets a scathing review in a magazine, it becomes apparents that all the hot spring inns in the area are receiving poor reviews whilst a newly constructed hotel is being praised. Wanting to get to the bottom of this, Ohana heads to Tokyo to find out who's responsible for the review, which turns out to be her mother, Satsuki. She reveals she wrote a poor review under orders from higher ups, which annoys Ohana, who had been bottling up her annoyances with her. When Satsuki refuses to go to Kissuisō to give her true opinion, Ohana decides to stage a protest. Whilst doing so, she decides to visit Kōichi, only to notice another girl seemingly attached to him. After hearing from Kōichi that the girl has an unrequited love for him, Ohana feels guilty and runs off into the rain in tears, but is found by Minko and Tōru.

After spending the night at a hotel with Minko and Tōru, Ohana suggests that they kidnap Satsuki and force her to come to the Kissuisō, with Tōru only agreeing if they take Kōichi with them as well. Whilst Minko and Tōru visit Tokyo's various restaurants, Ohana runs into Igarashi, who tells her that she needs to decide what her feelings for Kōichi are. After she gets a call back from Kōichi, who tells her about how he visited the Kissuisō whilst Ohana was searching for Tōru at the time, Ohana feels guilty and decides not to take Kōichi back to the Kissuisō with her. After joining up with Minko and Tōru, the group goes to see Satsuki, who decides by herself to go to the Kissuisō. When Tōru's asks Satsuki about why she changed her mind, she replies that it's because Ohana reminded her of herself when she was younger.

The staff members of Kissuisō wait and try to mentally prepare for Satsuki's arrival. Sui places Nako in charge of taking care of Satsuki, while the others speculate on whether or not that is a good idea. Arriving, Satsuki comments on how the inn hasn't changed at all from her years as a child, and criticizes constantly on how everything is done. However, Sui states that, in order to properly satisfy a customer that one must observe them on their first stay to see what that customer prefers, adding that even though it is Satsuki's first stay in the inn, it is not her first time being there. Sui and Ohana work together to make a list of what Satsuki likes. After a night of drinking, Satsuki, Ohana, and Sui all begin to understand each other a little better, and Satsuki leaves the next morning after writing a new, positive and praising review of Kissuisō. Ohana sorts out her feelings about Ko and, after a tearful realization, shouts her thanks to him for watching over her and says her farewells.

The inn becomes troubled over becoming shorthanded, but reject Ohana's offer to help out. However, she feels she needs to do something and, after the inn becomes unable to find replacement waitresses, they accept Ohana's help, with Minko and Nako deciding to help her out as well. However, the robotic system that assists with dishes breaks down, so Ohana suggests that they send the customers to have a bath before dinner to give them extra time to set up the tables. As Ohana and the others work on the tables, getting help from the other students, Yuina visits Yosuke and, after hearing that he might want to marry someone like Ohana, decides to break her habit of not working and help him clean the baths. After dinner, Yosuke allows the girls to use the hot springs. As the field trip comes to an end, Yosuke decides to rethink his training whilst Yuina decides to work harder herself.

Nako has always been worried about her personality, which falters outside of her home. As Nako gets a larger bonus on payday, she becomes worried that she needs to change in order to deserve that amount. Later that day, she, Ohana, Minko and Yuina go shopping, where she ends up splashing out in the hopes of changing, though doesn't feel she has at the end of the day. The next day, Nako decides to go to work with the same attitude she has at home, but it ends up backfiring against her. When she asks Sui about why she got a high bonus, she explains it was as thanks from a customer who followed her advice, praising her for the personality she has at Kissuiso, which cheers Nako up.

Enishi and Takako announce they are getting married, with Sui insisting that they hold a proper marriage ceremony. With costs looking high, Ohana suggests that they hold the ceremony at the Kissuiso, with everyone else offering to pitch in. As Tōru takes Minko to the beach to calm her nerves, she becomes disheartened when he brings up Ohana out of the blue and starts lashing out at her again like she used to. With Takako concerned about the cost of the ring and willing to call off the wedding, Sui gives her her old weddding ring, telling her about how she and her husband got married. She entrusts Enishi's happiness to Takako, but states she does not intend to pass down the inn to her.

As preperations for Enishi and Takako continue, Ohana gets a call from Satsuki, who talks about the one-sided love she had for Ohana's late father, and decides to continue her own one-sided crush on Kō. Later, as Minko continues her antagonistic attitude towards Ohana, the two end up fighting, during which Tōru overhears about Minko's crush on him. He then comforts her, admitting that he has a liking for Ohana, but still holds Minko's feelings in regard. Minko decides she won't give up on her crush on Tōru and makes up with Ohana, allowing Enishi and Takako's wedding to go smoothly. After the wedding, Sui announces that Denryoku is planning to retire from Kissuiso and that his logs, along with Kissuiso, will be sealed up.

After spending some time with him, Ohana invites Ko to come to the Bonbori Festival before leaving Tokyo again. As Ohana arrives back at the Kissuiso, they start getting a flood of reservations thanks to a positive review written by Satsuki. However, Sui insists that she intends to close the Kissuiso down after the Bonbori Festival. The next day, Sui takes Ohana with her to visit her husband's grave, where Sui suddenly collapses. Sui explains that she wanted to close Kissuiso down so the others could do what they want. Upon returning to the Kissuiso, the others are at odds against Sui, with only Ohana offering to help out with the Bonbori Festival preparations.