They've been setting it up for a while now, but it isn't nearly as nefarious or creepy as it looks.
Akane is a Method Actor.
She took exhaustive notes on literally everything all the time. She does psychoanalysis on Ai. She burns every experience she has into fuel for her acting in the future. She's following Strasberg.
On the other hand and remarkably someone who actually respects Akane when she is coerced into admitting it, Kana is very overt this episode and previous ones that she doesn't give a shit what anyone else thinks about her. But she pays a lot of attention to people around her. That's indicative of the Meisner Technique.
The series very methodically set up the pair as polar opposites in their respective techniques and approaches to the craft. Rivals in both acting styles and as women in a personal interest in Aqua.
It's easy to forget that the real veteran of the entire cast is Kana. She's been continually acting since she was very young. The others started later (Akane) or took breaks (Aqua). They all call her senpai because she is in every aspect of the entertainment world.
MEM-cho got to shine a little with her mastery of the internets, heh. Streamers aren't all looks if they want to really be popular. She knows her shit and she invests in her equipment.