Episode 5 of Hello, I Am a Witch and My Crush Wants Me to Make a LOVE Potion! follows Rose as she leaves her island to buy ingredients and is targeted by a group of local children. They throw mud balls at her, and Rose freezes until Harij arrives and intervenes.
The adults who come to the scene initially scold the children, but their response changes when Rose tells them she is a witch. Their silence makes clear that the children’s fear of witches has been reinforced by the grown-ups around them. Rose appears to accept their suspicion as familiar, barely trying to defend herself.
Harij demands apologies from the children and their parents, and urges the adults to raise their children differently. He insists that Rose deserves to be treated like anyone else. The episode presents his support as genuine concern for Rose, rather than an attempt to secure the love potion she is making for the princess.
Rose, however, struggles to believe that Harij’s kindness means he cares for her in the same way she cares for him. Her limited experience of trust leaves her wary of hoping for more, even as Harij continues to show up for her.
Sources: Anime News Network.