u/Ok_Application_9194

Best Friends?

What am I talking about? Hamlet, the melancholy Dane, decided to pretend to be a madman as a gambit to throw off his enemies. But thanks to his antics, his former fiance Ophelia literally became insane, and ended her life.

"The plays the thing, wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King". Hamlet pretended in order to make the current king feel guilty. But abandoning Ophelia as he did was too cruel.

Obviously it matters a lot if Anna is actually insane (Ophelia), or if she is just pretending to be insane (Hamlet). There is evidence to support both sides. And it also matters whether Nukkun thinks Anna is just pretending or really needs help.

This question arose thanks to Ecstatic_Barracuda's recent "Oh My..." post, and Yanami's closing story in in volume 8.5, "Leave being photogenic to me".

A related question, if Yanami is actually Hamlet, and is pretending, then who would her pretense be aimed at? If she is faking it, then the likely target is the Hakamada - Himemaya couple.

There is no doubt that Anna's gluttony and her crazy diets are actually harming her. Kaju has offered in the past to provide Anna with a better diet. But for some reason Nukkun told her not to do it. Lemon has also offered to take Anna along for running, but Anna herself rejected this, saying her knees were hurting. Actually Kaju and Lemon are both correct. The best way for Anna to get herself under control is real diet and exercise.

So consider the Hamlet option. In volume 3 Anna chose the costume of a ghost for halloween, and even acted as a ghost in a play. This could be considered a dig at Sosuke and Karen, Anna is hanging around like Banguo's ghost, a reminder of a past "crime" that they committed. But if this was Anna's intent, the hint was too subtle, I doubt that Sosuke and Karen even noticed.

But in volume 8.5 there is a change in tactics. In "Stuffing secrets into pockets" Lemon threw a direct challenge at Anna's face, she's going to have to fight if she wants to take Nukkun away. Anna is obviously starved for affection, it made her mistake the gift of a snack for attempted hand-holding. Anna thinks "what am I even doing?"

In Anna's closing story there may be evidence that Anna still hasn't completely given up on Sosuke after all. It's been over a year since their breakup, and Anna is still the only girl from the popular crowd without a boyfriend. Posting her solo selfie in among a group of couples pictures isn't subtle like before, its a shot across the bow, a real dig at Sosuke's conscience. Nukkun tried to persuade Anna not to send it, but he was ignored, because Anna is doing this deliberately. She forced a copy of her selfie onto Nukkun's phone, but don't forget the reason she created that selfie in the first place. She intends for it to guilt trip Sosuke and Karen. And she wouldn't bother doing this if she no longer cared about him.

Living the life one more time?

If you managed to read through Koto's BL stories, you know she describes an isekai world full of reincarnated people. Due to reincarnation these people have magical abilities. Someone is collecting these reincarnated people in one place, for some unknown purpose.

SPECULATION SPECULATION SPECULATION

Very simply, what if Makeine is an isekai world full of reincarnated people just like in Koto's story? What if the people collecting them are also in control of the student council? Naturally no two reincarnations are the same. So if someone gets put onto the student council, or gets invited to join, we can take that as an indicator that (1) they are reincarnated and (2) they have useful magic. Not all the reincarnators have memories of past lives, or even know what abilities they have. Lets take a look at a few of them.

1. Kaju Nukumizu - She is the most obvious of them. Kaju makes no attempt to conceal her skills or the fact that she has past memories. She often acts like an old granny rather than a middle school girl, and she certainly cooks like one. We believe Kaju was a <shinobi> or ninja, and her skills rose to the level of magic due to reincarnation. She can blend into the darkness. Kaju also has strong persuasive powers, basically like hypnosis. She's like a female version of "The Shadow". Kaju has been recruited by the student council, even before leaving middle school. Kaju calls Kazu onii-sama, her brocon-ness likely stems from their relationship in a previous life.
2. Riko Shiratama - I had no clue about her, until she chose to reveal herself to Kaju, using dish-washing, of all things. Riko's cooking is also on the same level as Kaju's. So it is likely that these two come from near the same time period of old Japan. (Kaju did say she felt like they overlap.) Riko was likely a courtesan in the past, rather than a spy. Her reincarnation enhanced abilities mean she can use <seduction> like a magic spell. While Riko is quite dangerous, her fixation on Tanaka keeps her from doing too much social damage. Riko is also now on the student council, in her case, its feels more like they want to keep a close watch on her. It was thanks to Riko's arc that I began to suspect that the SC was a den of witches.
3. Yumeko Shikiyah - also another obvious one. She suffers from albinism in her current life. And she can literally control <darkness>, instead of just using it to hide like Kaju. Yumeko may have spotted Kaju at the beach easily because of her affinity for <darkness> Of course Yumeko was also secretary of the student council. Yumeko placed cat ears on Tiara, the first hint that Tiara had an association with cats. Yumeko has also groped Tiara, Lemon, kissed Koto, and cuddled Komari, some of them are witches as well.
4. Hibari Hokobaru - the commanding former SC president. its unclear what her talent may be, but its probably something like <sex change>. Hibari makes an extremely convincing man when she wants to, to the point where the Lit Club girls won't allow him/her to change clothes with them. This may also have effected Hibari's sexual preferences, its perfectly normal for a guy to like girls.
5. Tsukinoki Koto - former VP of the SC. It's possible Koto is unaware of what her ability is, she says she doesn't know why the SC recruited her. It's likely no one told her of her ability, because knowledge of it might distort it. Koto's ability seems to be <divination>. It shows up in her stories and her ability to sense when girls are chasing after her chick-magnet boyfriend. She'll get an uneasy feeling and go to him. She pulled Riko off him pretty damn quick. (Nukumizu imagines that all girlfriends have this ability, but he's wrong.) It was Koto's <divination> that enabled her to guess the underlying reality of the Makeine universe. Koto also made a doujin featuring a genderbent Hibari submitting to Nukumizu, that's probably also a <divination>.
6. Hiroto Sakurai - former SC treasurer, and present SC VP. The only male member of the SC so far. Very close-mouthed. What is his ability? I believe he is a spotter or <witch hunter>. He is able to tell which students are witches and have a good idea of what their talents are. (And he doesn't have to kiss them to find out like Yamada.) It was Hiroto who chose Tiara to become VP of the SC in her freshman year (replacing Koto), but he concealed the fact that he chose her, preferring to let everyone believe Yumeko chose her instead. And it was Hiroto who campaigned <weakly> against Tiara and who then became her VP. Hiroto had Anna as his manager, while Tiara had Kazu, both of them could have become SC officers, which indicates they are likely talented themselves. Also Anna was able to place Riko into the SC, even though she worked for the opposing candidate, and Hiroto also tried to recruit Kazu again for the SC later, so clearly both Kazu and Anna are involved in magical stuff.
7. Tiara Basori - former SC VP, now current SC President. She seems very familiar with the Heian period of Japanese history, has an affinity with <cats> and we've also seen her use <kotodama> on Nukumizu, its an ability described by Koto, which compels people to follow through on actions they said they would do. When they thought the heat was off, Nukumizu admitted he would have probably helped Tiara's campaign. Because she used <kotodama> on him Kazu really had no choice from that point. Did the cat ears also help? Who knows? Komari also had some misadventures with a cat in Nagoya, which is the site of Basori's (and Kazu's) ancestral homes. Tiara is the only one known to use multiple talents. She is a powerful witch, and that is the reason she quickly became president. Kazu also seems conversant with the Heian period, the time of the legendary magician Abe Seme.
8. Chika Komari - our first non-SC reincarnation. Komari fears and hates the SC, especially its former president Hokobaru. Komari is aware that the SC is full of witches, but is not aware that she is one herself. Komari's memories of a past life are very traumatic and unfortunate, she lived as a hidden christian in Japan during the period when such people were tortured and killed for their religion. It's made her extremely wary of crowds, strangers, and authority figures. Komari's old style Christianity memories also tell her "thou shall not suffer a witch to live", so its not surprising she dislikes them. (See volume 5 where Kaju "outs" Komari, by putting her in a dress with crosses, and wearing a cross decoration in her hair.) Komari also doesn't know her own ability. Appropriately for a Christian, Komari's ability is <prophecy>. She says things which sometimes come true. Like Koto's <divination> Komari's <prophecy> might also be distorted if she became aware of it. Komari's love of Nukumizu might be the purest, since she is unaware of the magic that people possess. This means she's not chasing him just for his power like some others might be.
9. Lemon Yakishio - ever wonder about the worlds first reincarnator? We assume there had to be one. The first creature with a human soul, far back in prehistoric times. What would the mindset of the oldest soul be like? Building power slowly but, with thousands of incarnations, surely. Lemon, the wild child, seems to fit the bill. The less civilization around her, the more she prefers it. Lemon's talents are mostly centered around the physical world, she has greater, strength speed, agility, and sharper senses. And she has something like <sleight of hand>. As a prehistoric <cave girl> its not surprising that she has problems with cooking and fire. Lemon is not good at abstract thinking. Her tendency to cling to Nukkun is something like an instinct. During their Nagoya tower date she says that Nukkun will climb higher than she can reach, which puzzles him since he thinks its the opposite. Lemon may be referring to levels of spiritual attainment, the higher dimensions may be impossible for a soul so connected to the physical world. Although she is happy being close to Nukkun it won't occur to Lemon on her own to confess or try to get married, perhaps someone will guide her to it.
10. Anna Yanami - a bit of a mystery, Anna may be the opposite end of the spectrum from Lemon, a new soul that has never reincarnated. The perfect vessel for possession by a goddess or god. Anna doesn't show any evidence of past lives. She seems to be a mixture of extreme naivete, but also at times shows divine wisdom, which enables her to do magic at certain shrines. When possessed, Anna craves not earthly love, but worship. And of course gifts of food. She may be some kind of avatar of Inari or a related god. Anna or the being inside her is drawn to romance, including Nukkun's romantic affairs. Anna is conversant with the witches of the SC. Its also possible her internal goddess is the one responsible for collecting all these talented people, at this place and time, for some unknown purpose. Anna also has the ability to <hear lies>. In the later volumes you will see people either refuse to answer Anna's questions (Lemon) or change the subject (Nukkun).
11. Kazuhiko Nukumizu - also a mystery. Like Tiara, Kazu seems at home with Heian topics and thinking. It also seems like Lemon and Kaju may have known him in past lives. Tiara and Kazu both used magic described in one of Koto's BL stories on each other. Kazu used <liar> on Tiara to help her, while Tiara used <kotodama> on Kazu to bind him as her campaign manager and endorser. Kazu is very much in demand by the witches of the SC. It may not be his sparkling personality, but instead his talents and ability to get things done which attracts them. Yumeko and Taira have confessed to him, Tiara and Hiroto have tried to recruit him, and Riko seems content to have lied herself into being his fake girlfriend. Kazuhiko's <liar> ability is similar to Kaju's ability but much more powerful and dangerous. Kaju can make people believe a lie is the truth, but Nukkun can actually make a lie become the truth. It's more like the ability of George Orr in the "The Lathe of Heaven". This is why Kaju kept on hypnotizing Nukkun into believing he had no friends at the start of the story, as long as she could. Nobody wants to have their reality constantly changed. It is perhaps fitting though that Nukkun has this cheat ability, since he is the narrator of the story. Another way to look at this, perhaps Nukkun's <liar> talent actually causes him to travel into alternate universes at will? This is exactly the same ability that the Heian magician Abe Seme was supposed to have had. (And also Abe's grandson Sasshi in "Abenobashi".) Abe Seme's time was also the time of the creation of the worlds first novel. (Something Amanatsu mentioned in her demo history class.)

So there's lots of magic, but if you expect lighting bolts or blasts of flame you'll be disappointed, its generally more subtle than that. I'm inclined to believe Koto's <divination> that all these reincarnated people are gathered for some mysterious project. I hope the series survives long enough so we can learn what it is.

The other thing that's unfortunate, is we can't tell whether the SC witches want Nukkun for himself, or for his power. And ironically, if you initially pretend to like Nukkun, if he becomes convinced of the lie, it will become the truth.

This is a real date

In volume 6, Lemon and Nukkun dress up and go to the aquarium for their first romantic date. They have a pretty good time, but have to dodge a nosy blue otter that wants to crash their date. They escape by crossing a bridge to an island, at the top of which are several shrines. They pray a bit then continue on the path to the far side of the island, where Lemon walks out on the rocks to the shoreline. She beckons to him, but he stands a couple of meters away because he feels its too dangerous.

Then Lemon starts to slip, or at least she pretends to slip.

Without thinking about the danger, his body just reacts. He dives across the slippery rocks to try to save Lemon. He almost slips and falls, but Lemon saves him instead. Once she's got him, Lemon changes her grip to a lover's handhold ("this is step 2") as they stand together at the rocky edge. Kaju is watching from a distance and is moved by what she sees. (More about this later.)

Anyway, it is at this point that Lemon asks Nukkun to join a "go-home club for just the two of us". The meaning of this is a little cryptic, even Nukkun doesn't understand the meaning until days later, while talking with Tamaki. Anna also understands the meaning but doesn't tell Nukkun. What Lemon has done is propose they become a couple, but without calling it a couple. The words "I love you" are never spoken by either of them. Lemon has made a stealth proposal.

Why did Lemon propose such a thing? It's because, when Nukkun dived across the rocks to save her, heedless of the danger, she knows that this man will always come to save her. Lemon lives in the physical world, so mere verbal promises would never convince her. The truth of Nukkun's actions is what made her sure.

Nukkun had already saved Lemon a few times before. His first save was stopping her from drinking from a moldy water bottle in the PE shed. Next he and Anna rescued her when she was about to collapse from learning Ayano has a girlfriend. He went to collect her at granny's place, and spent some time admiring her beauty as she ran in the moonlit grove. He stayed by her side as she cried, then later escorted her to meet Ayano for their formal breakup. (At one point Ayano looked at Nukkun and said "Chihaya told me that the story that you loved Yanami was a lie". Any idea why he said that?) There are other saves as well. (Alternate Makeine title: "The Perils of Yakishio")

Once Nukkun really understood what Lemon was really asking, he confronts her in front of the entire class. Mr. Subtlety, he is not, so the whole class is shocked. Lemon replies to him that yes, she is serious, and that she will be waiting for his answer. Finally, on seniors graduation day, he meets her and replies to her proposal.

Nukkun says "I'll do what you want. But I don't want you to quit your clubs."

At this point the go-home club for two is now in operation.

Nukkun immediate begins arguing strongly against his co-club member quitting her other 2 clubs. So Lemon proposes a race, giving Nukkun a handicap. If he wins, Lemon will not quit. If she wins not only will she quit the track and Lit Clubs, but Nukkun will also quit the Lit Club as well. Lemon's race proposal is a bid to completely monopolize Nukkun's time. Lemon got greedy real fast. Nukkun won the race so neither of them quit any clubs. And Lemon agrees to do what Nukkun says. For how long? According to Ayano, its forever.

So once the race is over, the go-home club is over too, right? Well no, nobody actually said that. Certainly Lemon doesn't believe that, because from this point on she starts visiting Nukkun's home after school frequently.

Her visits are disguised by saying she comes there to shower, and that his house is just the right distance from the school for her runs. But this is easy to see through, since Lemon and Nukkun's houses are pretty close together, meaning the running distance is about the same. If running is the only purpose, its far simpler for Lemon to just go home and shower. Next Nukkun hides behind saying that using their shower was Kaju's idea. Which is technically true, but doesn't explain why Lemon is going to their house in the first place. The next excuse Nukkun uses is the Literature Club suspension, but that only lasted for 2 weeks, and Lemon just keeps coming over after that.

All these excuses are hiding the reality that the go-home club never ended,

Bewitching among the field of foxes at Inari shrine

I realized Yanami has only been eating beef for a few months at most in volume 1. Her father banned it until she reached high school. Nukumizu hints, but doesn't say, that he thinks the restriction was poverty related. But I think that what he actually said, that its related to her Dad's job, is closer to the truth.

After the beef revelation, Anna talks her dad down, implying that he not good with organizations and stuff. We can read this to mean her Dad is not a good fit for a corporate job.

(Speculation) What if her Dad is the head priest of the nearby Toyokawa Inari temple? That Inari temple is syncretic, meaning it also incorporates Buddhist traditions along with Shinto ones. Shintoism had dietary restrictions in the past connected with the idea of purity. In fact meat eating was mostly banned during a period of 1000 years in Japan. (This period is believed to have contributed to a smaller stature of Japanese people today, by restricting a source of protein.) Some sects of Buddhism still promote vegetarian diets. The Shinto purity restrictions singled out four-legged animals such as cattle (beef) for bans as well.

If somehow her Dad's ban on beef was poverty related, it would make more sense to apply the ban now, than when she was a small child. Bigger appetite means bigger expenditures. Also throwing barbecues just to cheer their child up argues against beef cost being a factor.

It's also not surprising that a head priest might not make a good salaryman. It is likely that its Anna's mother that is good with organizations and politics, we know she works down at city hall. BTW there is no ban on priests or their families running for office in Japan.

If any of this is true, then Anna's breakup with Sosuke is not a just trivial teen romance issue at all. It is a threat to Anna's future. Women are not allowed to be head priests in Japan, so it is very likely that both families had planned for Sosuke to be the next head after Anna's Dad. Sosuke having fallen for another girl instead has thrown all those plans into disarray.

This is a big mess. To avoid being disinherited completely, Anna needs to marry someone capable of taking over as head priest. Probably someone who has already had considerable religious training. We might recognize this person as possibly living a pure life, no scandals, no collections of dirty pictures. Sosuke and his sex life may have completely disqualified himself in the eyes of people who matter, though that isn't for certain, perhaps he can undergo purifications rituals? Sakurai may possibly fit the bill, but he is still mostly unknown. I think Nukumizu becoming a head Shinto priest would be difficult, since his reputation is so bad among students and faculty.

>

As if suddenly realizing something, Yanami clapped her hands together.

>"Oh, I get it. Don't worry, we'll get beef too. We're high schoolers now, after all."

>Yanami gave me a thumbs-up, her face brimming with smugness.

>"...Uh, what exactly is the connection between beef and being in high school?"

>"It's obvious. Families aren't allowed to eat beef while their kids are still in compulsory education. It's the rule!"

>"…There's no such rule."

>"Huh? But my dad said so."

>This conversation is starting to sound kind of depressing.

>"Wait, is it a regulation? A school rule, maybe?"

>"It's probably just something related to your dad's work. You know, like how some families only buy Toyota cars because of where they work."

>Nice save, me. Let's just end this conversation here.

>"...Work, huh? What's my dad doing these days, anyway…"

>Yanami lowered her head, her tone growing gloomier. The chain of sadness isn't over yet.

>"...Well, uh, working? Probably?"

>"Y-Yeah! He's working, definitely! But my dad's not really good with, like, organizations and stuff."

>It's okay, Yanami. Let's stop here. If this goes on any further, I might cry.

I am the one who knocks

Nukumizu is charming, witty, and funny. This has earned him lots of fans, who idolize him. I've wondered how many of the fans can see him clearly or if they even bother to think about the real character.

First, Nukumizu is way too familiar with all genres of light novels, manga and anime. From the best to the worst. And he enjoys reading some of the most risque stuff. Incest, NTR, Yuri, Yaoi, and so on. So mentally at least he is not a pure kid.

Would you say Nukumizu never lies? No, he tells lies constantly. Sometimes he lies just for fun.

Let's cut to the chase, volume 7. Nukumizu hoists the jolly roger and turns into a full on criminal. He turns the Lit Club into a criminal organization, and even brings in professionals, to make his project happen. You always have a choice whether to do evil, in this case the one who first said the Lit Club might get disbanded was Anna, everyone just accepted it. In reality Kazu already had extremely good relations with all 4 members of the student Council, plus a confession from 1 (Yumeko), there is no way they were going to throw the rule book at him and disband the club for not meeting their quota. So he didn't have to do it, but he still wanted to do it.

And when Riko needed an evil plan to keep from self-destructing, Kazu didn't even hesitate to provide one. Thanks to that, Riko is now laying in wait for Tanaka's marriage to her sister to hit a rough patch. And so far Kazu hasn't breathed a word of warning to Tanaka about how he set him up. That's cold.

Based mostly on his actions in volume 7, I have no choice but to conclude Nukumizu is cold and calculating, but usually hides it behind a pleasant mask. The only one who has seen his other side, and likes him for it, is of course Riko. If she ever decides to give up on Tanaka, she will make a beeline right for Kazu, so they can lead a life of crime together.

Watch closely how she handles it Nukumizu

The short answer is because he doesn't want one.

So why doesn't he want one?

That's because Nukumizu is the biggest losing hero in the story. He is a guy who is still butthurt over his rejection in middle school. Not only did he not get over it, he snubbed and ignored the girl for months, while she still tried to approach him as a friend.

His classmates have watched this tragedy play out day after day. You wanted to know why they think he is mean and cruel? Why they are surprised when he does something kind? This is the reason.

You know the girl who hangs around his desk and sits in his seat, and tries to talk with him. But Nukumizu ignores her, and even developed a routine with his receipts to avoid talking to her. A very cruel way to treat his former friend.

Nukumizu is the worst there's ever been at handling rejection. He became close to a zombie, talking to no one, pretending to be invisible.

So why did he begin to change?

It was Anna of course. He saw her own rejection and heartbreak happen right before his eyes in the restaurant. A connection between fellow losers was formed on the spot.

As much of a mess as Anna has been, she still handled her rejection much much better than Nukumizu handled his own. She didn't cut off all contact with humanity like he did. Instead she used him as kind of a therapist (and vending machine). Her example shows him that rejection is not the end of the world, and he slowly starts to function again and rejoin society.

But then his self sabotage skills kick in and he tries to break off his friendship with Anna. Its as if something inside him doesn't want things to get better.

This is the point when the girl he's been snubbing for months saves him. She tells him if he doesn't make up with Anna soon, he will regret it. And she says this is advice from a veteran. Because she has already experienced losing him as a friend, and they never made up.

Nukumizu is a little insane when it comes to Lemon. He convinced himself back in middle school that Ayano and Lemon were a couple. That was just his jealousy talking, because we know that Ayano and Lemon never dated or became a couple. They were just friends, which is all Lemon ever wanted.

In the PE shed, before all the sweating and stripping, Lemon again tries to tell Nukkun than she and Ayano were just friends. And he completely rejects what she said:

>"But, uh, don't get the wrong idea, okay!? I mean, it's not like that for Mitsuki and me! We're just friends-"

>"Now? You're going to say that now? Isn't it a little late for that?"

The reason "it's too late for that" is because even though its the truth, Nukkun has believed the opposite for too long. He rejects what she is saying. He also says she is just a kid when it comes to romance, which is true.

Lemon never had any intention of confessing to anyone. In volume 2 when she blurted out she loved Ayano, she at first didn't realize what she had done, until everyone stared at her. Then she ran away.

In any case, thanks largely to Anna, Nukkun began talking again with people, including Lemon. And eventually (vol 6) Lemon became comfortable enough to go on a first date. Which was successful, largely thanks to the guidebook her mother gave her. Lemon doesn't have natural romance instincts, she's just good at playing with friends.

So Anna "healed" Nukkun and thanks to that Lemon regained her old friend. Perhaps now Nukkun, or Lemon, or both can help Anna fix some of her own issues.

Then the playing field will be level, and then the battle will really begin.

No sneaking ahead now!

Nukumizu can't tell a lie to Yanami.

If he tries, then she immediately detects it. The following passage is from volume 4 chapter 4, Anna has completely failed in her plan to have matching pens with him, and then she notices the scarf he is wearing:

>Yanami stared intently at my throat as I let out what felt like the final sigh of the year.

>"...What?"

>"Nukumizu-kun, did you wear that scarf at school? Wait, were you even wearing it on the day of the closing ceremony?"

>Yanami tilted her head, and I answered in a casual tone.

>"I've occasionally worn it on chilly days for a while now. I just didn't wear it at school much."

>Yanami muttered an "I see" in a flat voice and passed through the restaurant's automatic doors.

>Following behind her through the doors, I was surprised at myself.

>…I lied to Yanami.

>It was a small, insignificant lie.

>There was no reason to keep it a secret, and I wouldn't care if she found out.

>I just wanted to do it, just a little bit.

>Then, I stopped in my tracks.

>For some reason, Yanami suddenly turned around and stared intently at me.

>"Hey, what's wrong, Yanami-san...?"

>Yanami didn't answer that, but showed a broad grin.

>Then she reached out to my scarf, and choked me a little too strongly to call it "lightly".

>"Nukumizu-kun, no sneaking ahead, you hear me?"

Why did Nukkun tell a deliberate lie, about something unimportant? It's because he is testing her. And himself. It's better to find out using an inconsequential lie, than to find out when telling a crucial lie.

From this point forward Nukkun will never tell Anna any verbal lies. Usually when she questions him, which she does a lot, he will answer indirectly, or not all, or change the subject.

It's not that she can read minds. He has to actually speak the lie for her to detect it. Anna seems to have the same ability as the girl in <Usotoki Rhetoric> She can hear spoken lies. Anna though is smarter than the girl in the manga, or perhaps she only got this power when she grew older. She doesn't always call out liars on the spot. But its clear from the way Anna behaves after Nukkun told his lie, that she knew he was lying.

And its also clear from the way she choked him, that she was angry about it.

This means Anna can keep Nukkun honest if she is in the room, she is the perfect counter to one of his abilities. Koto described it as the talent Dazai uses in her BL stories, it's called <liar>. In volume 8 in Tiara's room Nukkun uses this ability on Tiara repeatedly, so that she eventually believes her little brother did not see or hear her embarrassing cat display.

When he treated Anna to a long promised meal in vol 8.5, she asked him "do you like me?" and Nukkun broke out in a sweat. Because he's afraid he might actually be in love with her, and that Anna will hear it in his voice, whether he lies or tells the truth.

The story seems different once you know Anna is detecting lies whenever she questions people. She's a better detective then we thought.

Lemon is an odd case because she seems to know about Anna's ability early, and knows how to defeat it. In volume 3 Lemon casually mentions that she and Nukkun are a little bit "like that", so of course Anna questions her, and eventually decides Lemon is lying. Lemon isn't lying but she talks so casually that Anna and Komari believe she is actually lying. (Lemon seems to have immunity to lot of the other girls talents, perhaps she doesn't believe in that stuff?)

Also in volume 8.5 after their Nagoya date, Anna is desperate to find out what went on. But later, no matter how much she questions Lemon, Lemon simply refuses to answer any of Anna's questions. So Anna has no truth or lies to work with. Eventually Anna leaves the Library, as if she was fleeing.

Put this in the context of what we know about the upcoming volume 9.

Sakurai is taking Hibari, Nukkun, and Anna with him to meet Koharu. He likely knows a bit about their abilities (and probably everyone else's as well.) So he's taking a person who can craft believable lies, and someone who can instantly detect truth and lies. Plus whatever Hibari can do (unknown yet). I think Sakurai is a little afraid of his girlfriend.

Bad Girl Appeal

Like many characters in Makeine, Asagumo has a bit of mystery about her. She has many abilities that the average human doesn't have. Actually if you look closely, Chihaya has abilities that no human has. Let's list some:

1. Perfect photographic memory and retention. (Uses this as her study method, to get the best grades in the school. (Vol 6))
2. Superhuman ability to organize data quickly. (Demonstrated this while assisting with Komari's literary project. (vol 3))
3. Superhuman ability to handle and comprehend multiple data streams at once. (Can handle tens of microphone inputs simultaneously.)
4. Uses external cooling packs on her head when thinking too hard. (vol 2)
5. Can reprogram her boyfriend whenever he says things she doesn't like. (vol 8) (From this we should not assume Chihaya can reprogram just anybody. The minimalist assumption is that only Ayano is a programmable person. It looks like he is a handsome, charming android, that Yakishio fell in love with. Did Chihaya intend for that to happen? Was Ayano bait?)

Asagumo is also bad at disguises, and has boyfriend problems, while at the same time flirting with Nukumizu whenever she has the chance. In private she told him she is a bad girl. She also helped Nukumizu commit crimes (minus her boyfriend) when he asked her to, and then walked away when he asked her to afterwards (vol 7). Lately (vol 8.5) she seems to be coming back into Nukumizu's life.

Together with Ayano and Yakishio, Asagumo is among the earliest student friends of Nukumizu that we know about, going back to middle school and also sharing a cram school back then. All 4 of them managed to get into the same elite high school together (Tsuwabuki). In Yakishio's case this was a miracle, and probably couldn't have been done without Ayano's help.

So if Asagumo is not quite human, then she likely came from somewhere else. Did she travel here through space or through time? And what is she doing here? There may be a clue in the afterword story attached to volume 6, called "secret x secret". In it, Kaju and Chihaya match wits and showcase their spy capabilities.

>"Is this…a wiring diagram?"

>Asagumo nodded excitedly and spread her arms wide to open the booklet of wiring diagrams.

>"This contains the electrical and acoustic wiring of the entire Tsuwabuki High School!"

>Asagumo spoke rapidly after taking a deep breath.

>"In research projects, securing a power supply is always a headache, but this solves everything! By comparing the diagrams by era, I found several unused wires! If we repurpose these to modify the speakers into microphones-"

>Asagumo abruptly stopped and tapped her forehead.

>"...Ara, I'm sorry. I got carried away and started talking to myself."

So when she got excited Chihaya revealed that what she is doing is a research project. And that she has access to the schools wiring diagrams from different eras. This seems to indicate that Chihaya is doing historical research. The electricians normally responsible for the schools wiring would only keep the current version of the wiring. For them, keeping old wiring versions around runs the risk of accidentally working from the wrong versions. But Chihaya's interest is not just historical. She is using the various wiring versions to find old unused circuits, and then using those circuits to listen to sound throughout the school.

Also during volume 4, when Kazu and Tiara are trying to get study tips from them, Ayano starts talking as if he is able copy notes before the teacher has written them on the blackboard. At that point Chihaya clamps her hand over his mouth, and they pass it off as flirting. This implies Ayano is Chihaya's fellow time traveler. (Time travelers always have a companion? 😊)

Also along these lines, in volume 8.5, Komari delivers a tailored study guide to Yakishio, that she says came from Ayano. And Ayano had prepared it in advance because he knew she would need it someday. Again this is strong evidence of advance knowledge of events that hadn't happened yet.

We can make a guess about what Asagumo is trying to study. Since she is happily re-wiring the school, she probably doesn't care about the architecture. She's studying people. Which people? We know she placed her mikes in the Lit Club, and the student council. So the people who are most likely her targets frequent both those places. That includes the Nukumizu children, doesn't it?

Knowing that Nukumizu may be one of her research subjects gives a completely different spin to Chihaya's efforts to get close to him. In volume 2 Ayano's calm willingness to step aside when he finds Chihaya and Kazu together, "if its you, I'll understand", makes a little more sense.

It's research after all.

But it isn't just research. Chihaya and her programmable boyfriend are doing more than just quietly observing. They are actively interfering in events. If these two are really from the future, then they are making changes in the timeline. It's no wonder Asagumo says she is a bad girl. If the changes she is making are unauthorized, then Asagumo is a time criminal.

No longer holding back

In volume 6, as part of their agreement, Lemon will do what Nukkun says. And what he told her is to be more selfish, and run exactly as she wants to. After this that's exactly what Lemon does. She switches to middle distance and gives it her all. She feels pretty confident that she can win the Nationals too.

But before this, Lemon was always being considerate of the other girls on the team. When did this begin?

Hokobaru tells us the story. In her middle school freshman year, Lemon (age 13?) was going all out, and crushing everybody, despite having little training. It was just her innate talent. After seeing this Hokobaru decided to retire from track, she was a senior anyway.

Then Lemon made a remarkable run, that would have qualified her for the prefectural podium. But the officials decided her run time must have been an error and removed it from the record. Lemon then removed herself from any category except the 100 meters. Then she didn't place on the podium and that was that for her freshman year.

This was a case of that old proverb, "the nail that sticks up gets hammered down". Middle school freshman Lemon got the message. She began holding herself back, and only competing on one category.

Have you ever turned in a paper or project that was too good, only to have the teacher decide you must have cheated? With no proof except their feelings? Even if you manage to get this decision overturned, the whole class thinks you may have cheated. Its a horrible feeling. Lemon probably came close to quitting the track team entirely.

Hokobaru told this story of Lemon's remarkable surge and sudden fallback to Nukumizu. This means he probably became aware that Lemon has been holding herself back all this time, the last 3 years.

So when he won their race, and she agrees to do whatever he says, what Nukkun chose was for Lemon's sake. "Stop holding back and being considerate of others. Run your best." Nukkun took off Lemon's shackles, that she had put on herself.

Rooting for the Underdog?

There's been a lot of clamor for the idea that Yanami will win, and claim Nukumizu as her prize. She has blue hair after all, and blue haired girls are usually losers, so to upset the trope, this time Anna will win.

There was even a prophecy that Amamori stated "the blue haired girl will win" But upon close investigation, that prophecy never existed.

We could go further and point out that Amamori never said there was a contest, or that Nukumizu was a prize, but while those things are true, that's kind of boring, so lets ignore those two facts.

There's also the cynical marketing expectation, that readership polls will be taken and the most popular girl will win, no matter how the author has to do it. This passes as mature, adult wisdom for a surprising number of people.

But think of it from the author's point of view. He'll get paid either way, but his goal is to keep interest high, and to keep people guessing as long as possible. He also wants to become more famous. To do that, his writing has to stand out in some memorable fashion.

Which brings us to the Underdog theory. Amamori is expected to subvert the romcom tropes by having the Underdog win this time.

Be honest now, who is the Underdog?

Yanami and Yakishio, may be classed as losers by Nukumizu, but he is a bit delusional. In reality these girls are both beautiful, popular, and much in demand by the boys in the school. We know they are rated as #3 (Anna) and #2 (Lemon), surpassed only by #1 (Karen). And since they are unattached, both these girls constantly receive confessions, which so far they have always turned down.

If you want an Underdog, then you need to look at Komari. She is small, shy, and inarticulate, using her phone and her writing to express herself. At home, Komari is burdened by constantly having to take care of and feed her much younger siblings. Her parents recently deliberately used her siblings as chaperones, disrupting the one date with Nukumizu that Komari had planned. Komari is not popular, instead she is a loner who prefers to eat by herself or with her few friends. In practice this is mostly with Nukumizu.

If it comes down to a question of who needs Nukumizu the most, then the answer is Komari. She clings to his shirt, and hides behind him because she is so dependent on him.

As things stand now, if Yanami and Yakishio choose not to be selfish, they could very well wind up stepping aside, and letting quiet Komari, the true Underdog, have Nukumizu. She needs him the most. Anna has already stepped aside once for the sake of another's love before, and Lemon is Komari's close friend, and knows Komari loves him, while Lemon herself says she doesn't. "You're so cute." "Go easy on me!"

As of volume 8.5 Komari has a surprisingly good chance. Not because she is so competitive, but because her two rivals may concede the race. If this is the outcome, no one would be able to say there is not enough development.

Future Career Plans

At the end of volume 6, Anna told us that she'd heard a rumor that couples would be broken up during the coming class change. And when it happened, Lemon was moved out of Amanatsu class, while Komari was moved into it. It looked like Lemon and Nukkun were being separated, after all they'd recently had romance drama in front of the entire class.

But I thought about it a little more. Why would the teachers give a damn about breaking up couples? They've never done this kind of thing before. The one who cares about everyone romance ups and downs, is Yanami.

And then I noticed this in volume 5, Amanatsu's monologue:

>“-Anyway, you guys are about to be second-year students. The split into science subjects and liteature subjects is about to happen, and all of you will be in different classes as well. Don’t think you still have a lot of time before graduation. There’s only one shot as a first-year and second-year student. Treasure the moment. Don’t regret it like sensei.”

I realized I'd allowed Yanami to trick me. The rumor she talked about was just a rumor. There real reason for class changes is the one Amanatsu gave us. The split into science and literature tracks. Yanami's rumor served as a smokescreen to disguise what's happening. Komari and Nukkun wound up together in 2-C because they are both now in the Literature track. And Lemon must have chosen the Science track.

What, Lemon in Science? You must be joking!

Well she has to go into one or the other. Lemon and Literature are not a good match. Literature deals with abstract ideas and shades of meaning. Something Lemon doesn't do well with.

Lemon is solidly grounded in the physical world. She was famous for often disrupting the Yakishio household with her antics. She has an experimentalist mindset. The more hands-on and physical something is, the better she relates to it. So it makes sense she would join the Science track rather than the literature track.

So why did Takibi use Anna to lay a smokescreen over this topic, instead of simply telling us which tracks everyone chose? I thinks this helps disguise which colleges they will choose. Nukumizu and Komari, both being in the Literature track, and aiming to be writers, are more likely to go to the same university together. And Lemon will be more likely to go to a different college than them.

What about Anna? Well she didn't switch class, so she likely chose the Literature track as well. But Anna doesn't seem like she wants to be a writer, its more like a hobby with her, she found she liked writing after joining the Lit club to follow Nukumizu. As for Anna's college plans, I don't think she has talked about her future career at all. Just that she wants to get married someday.

The trope list

Everybody bandies about the word "trope". Do we even agree on what tropes are, and which tropes the story contains? So I thought I'd make a list of things I consider tropes that Nukumizu has experienced with girls, and also the girls he has experienced them with. I'm hoping the tropes I miss will be added by others, since we all have our biases. Please no fanfic tropes, limit it to events actually in the LN. These are not definitive, just what I could think of off my head. Left out all the Lemon stripping scenes, since she's just teasing, not doing it with romantic intent (I think). (Probably should have left out the Anna stuck dress event too, by this standard. Especially since she trashed him so bad after all his effort.)

Trope Description	Which Girl	Where
Love at first sight	None
Confession	Tiara	bridge over pond
Serious date	Lemon, Komari	Aquarium, TV tower, (Komari sabotaged by parents)
Asked to "take responsibility"	Komari, Lemon	volume 3, volume 6
Holds onto your clothes	Komari	various
In your room as group	Anna, Chikaya, Komari, Riko, Lemon	Nukumizu's roomI
In your bed sleeping with you	Kaju, Lemon	Nukumizu's room (just sleeping)
Cosplay for you	Tiara, Komari	cat ears, Chikipyon,goth-loli(Komari)
Touched same book	Lemon	middle school
Desks side by side	Lemon	middle school
Sitting in your seat	Lemon	school
Riding train together	Lemon	to/from school
Calls you by nickname	Lemon
Riding bus together	Komari, Lemon	to/from shopping w/kids
Road trip	Anna, Komari, Koto	to/from Lemons grandma's place
Beach trip	Lemon, Anna, Komari, Koto	beach
Fed by hand	Anna	beach
Feeding each other	Lemon, Chihaya	cafe, Lemon's house
Running on beach	Lemon	falling in sand
Holding hands	Lemon, Anna, Yumeko	beach, street (Yumeko)
Lovers clasp	Lemon	Mikawa Bay
Locked in	Lemon	PE Shed
Hugged	Kaju, Lemon	home, multiple places (Lemon)
Kissed by	Kaju	home (cheek)
Kiss offered	Yumeko, Riko, Anna	chapel, beach (Anna cheek)
Boob-faced and slapped	Karen	school
Helped to undress	Anna	prop room near chapel(stuck)
Princess carry	Riko, Lemon	escape from chapel, his room (Lemon)
Piggy back ride	Yumeko	beach to Hibari's place
"Bad girl" invitations	Chihaya, Riko
Invites you up to her room	Tiara
Met a parent	Lemon	Yakimama vol 6, 8.5
Shrine visits together	Anna, Lemon	Inari shrine (Anna), Moonlit grove (Lemon), Hatsumode (Lemon), Tenjin shrine (Lemon)
Tending sick girl	Komari, Yumeko	Komari (home), Yumeko (various)
Staying beside crying girl	Anna, Lemon, Komari, Yumeko
Risking Life for girl	Lemon	When she slipped on the rocks at Mikawa bay
Cooking/dishwashing together	Tiara, Kaju, Yakimama, Riko, Anna	Kaju everyday, Tiara at Hibari's, Yakimama, Riko made Kaju's cake, Anna watched
Lucky pervert events	Lemon, Anna, Karen, Tiara	Lemon(5), Anna(1), Karen(1), Tiara(2)

Is a girlfriend too constricting for Nukumizu?

In volume 8, Nukkun and nearly naked Lemon are bickering a bit outside his bathroom. (Or is it hers, she seems to spend more time in there than he does.)

One line in particular caught my attention:

"What's with this annoying girlfriend vibe?"

My interpretation of this is that Nukkun thinks the way Lemon is talking to him resembles that of an annoying girlfriend. Seems straightforward, right?

But then ask yourself, how does Nukkun know what an annoying girlfriend sounds like? Hasn't he always been a loner who has no friends? What makes him able to recognize an "annoying girlfriend vibe"?

The logical conclusion is that if he can recognize an annoying girlfriend vibe, then he must have experienced it in the past.

And if he's experienced it in the past, then he must have had a girlfriend in the past. And found this sort of talk annoying before.

And it raises a further question. If he has found some aspects of having a girlfriend annoying in the past, then why does he want a girlfriend in the present? Can we establish that Nukkun wants a girlfriend at all?

Surprisingly, I think the answer is no. Unlike typical romcom MCs who sigh and wish they had a girlfriend, Nukkun never does this. From the beginning he was perfectly content to read his light novels all by himself. Until his chance kindness to Anna dragged him into the maelstrom.

So we are not watching Nukkun as he hunts for a girlfriend. What we are watching is if Nukkun will wind up with a girlfriend no matter what he does.

Nukkun was obviously excited by Tiara's confession. He knows that if he just said yes, then he'd have a girlfriend right now.

But of course Nukkun has not said yes. And perhaps he will not say yes to anyone.

Lemon sat volume 7 out, mostly

While looking through volume 7, I had a thought. The club and Nukkun are desperate because no new recruits have have applied. Why did that happen?

The cause is due to their disastrous stage presentation during recruitment week. Komari was unable to speak and then hid. Yanami read from some kind of food review she did instead of the script she was supposed to read from . And then Yakishio bowled over everyone so that the whole group landed in a heap. This was because of the paper bag over her head obscuring her vision.

Think about the Lit Club's demographic. Aiming for shy, introverted, gloomy girls and boys. In the eyes of introverts, Komari's "performance" was just fine. It says "this is a place for introverts."

Yanami is pretty, and Nukkun worried that might scare introverts away. But instead of appearing charming, poised and articulate, which could have been intimidating, Yanami came across as goofy and air-headed. For introverts, Yanami's performance was comical and disarming. This was as non-threatening as she could be to introverted recruits.

Yakishio's performance was different. She ran into everyone and knocked everyone down into a heap or dogpile. This was a deal breaker. Introverts just aren't ready to be randomly tackled and thrown into a mixed-sex pile on the floor. Of course they will stay away from that.

Even Nukumizu's performance didn't help. He nonchalantly took the chaos in stride and just kept on talking. The implication was clear. Things like this happen in the Lit Club everyday. This is no quiet sanctuary for introverts after all.

But it couldn't be helped, right? Yakishio was blinded by a paper bag. This means she was completely unable to find her way. Actually, I wonder about that. Yakishio's athletic senses are finely tuned. She can estimate her stride distances and also time events down to 1 tenth of a second in her head. The paper bag gives her plausible deniability.

So my question is, did she do this intentionally, and what could she gain if she did? What would be her motive?

How about breaking up the lit club, and keeping Nukkun in a "go-home club for just the two of us"? What we saw in volume 6 among other things is that Lemon was willing to possibly break up the Lit club if it meant she could have Nukkun to herself. But Lemon is too nice a girl to do something like this, she's always putting others needs before her own right?

Nope, that was the old Lemon. After volume 6, she has new orders to follow. Nukumizu told her to be more selfish, and to do what she loves more. He never told her to apply this new philosophy only to her running career, perhaps he forgot? The new Lemon doesn't want to go on group dates and share Nukkun with the other girls. Selfishly she intends to keep going on private dates with him. Lemon is not a writer in any real sense. Lemon therefore would be perfectly fine if the Lit Club dissolves.

Mostly due to Lemon's stage performance, the Lit Club is going through a crisis and must scramble through a crazy crime caper in order to bring Shiratama on board. And during this caper, Lemon is too busy to help in any way. Lemon only appears at the end to take care of some files that the other girls suspect contain pictures of her. Which also is the first clue after volume 6 that Lemon has been spending more time with Nukkun in his home. In volumes 8 and 8.5 >!there are many more clues.!<

Speaking of crime, if you have a suspect, you should look into whether they have, means, motive, and opportunity.

I believe I've just demonstrated that Lemon has all three. This is just a suspicion, not proof.

Just followed the Cat again

What do you call it when Komari goes to Nagoya and commits a Christian sin by seeing Tamaki behind Kotos back?

>!Cross CouNTRy!<

Symbolism and Predictions

In volume 8, when Nukumizu hangs out with Komari, the girl he most resembles, sometimes things happen that may be symbolically predicting the future. Bear in mind that prediction, like prophecy, is always a dangerous business. The predictor, as well as the one acting on it, often comes to a Bad End. (Like a fatal case of down votes.)

During his non-date with Komari, it became even more of a non-date when she was forced to bring her 2 siblings along at the last minute. This may have been a tactic by her parents, if they noticed how much time and attention she was taking to prepare her outfit for the next day. If Susumu, a fourth grade noticed it, it's likely her parents did as well. This may mean they don't want her to date.

Getting back to my point, Kazu, Chika and her two siblings enter an arcade and start playing air hockey. It's Kazu and Susumu versus Chika and Hime. Since Hime is only 4, I assume someone set up a footstool so she could reach. Kazu looks at his opposition and assumes he's got this in the bag.

But that's not what happens. Chika proves she is an expert at this game, gets the first puck, and triggers multi-mode, a feature some air hockey tables have. In multi-mode there are multiple pucks flying around the table at once. This choice of too many pucks to aim at thoroughly confuses Kazu, and he winds up not being able to sink even a single puck. Chika and her little sister crush Kazu's side. He cant believe it, so he opens his wallet, figuring he might be able to win using the power of money. But of course the result is the same after repeated attempts to beat Komari.

Now it occurred to me this elaborate scene actually has a purpose. It's symbolic of Kazu's romantic future with the multitude of girls he's involved with. Because of too many targets to choose from, Nukumizu is not going to get even a single puck. (Isn't there a proverb about his situation?)

The other symbolic prediction comes about towards the end of volume 8, when Kazu and Komari are stapling together a new Lit Club magazine. Kazu is acting weird because Basori has just confessed to him, and his mind isn't on the work he is doing.

>“…Hey, Komari.”
“W-What?”
“Have you ever… been in love?”

>Flutter flutter flutter—Komari dropped the entire stack of papers she was holding.

>“What’s wrong? You tired too?”
“D-Die! Right here, right now!”
Why’s she so mad? I don’t get it.

Nukumizu doesn't get it. Something must be wrong with his brain. In volume 1 he was right there at the barbecue when Komari confessed to Tamaki and was rejected. Can he really not remember this? Of course Komari got pissed off. This shocked Komari so much that the papers she was binding slipped right out of her hands. (You can read her reaction as a clue that either her past romance, or a new romance is on her mind.)

>As I crouched down to gather the scattered papers, Komari knelt beside me to help.
“N-Nukumizu. Y-Yanami’s story—the pages are out of order.”

>Oh, she’s right. The ending is on the first page.

>“Well, if we just say it’s a creative choice…”
"Shut up. We're redoing it."
"...Okay."

>Yanami’s story has entered a new development.

This is our second prediction. Two writers, Kazu and Chika, just told us Yanami's story is out of order, the ending is on the first page, and that Yanami's story has entered a new development. All this elaborate setup is pretty obviously talking about Yanami's actual life.

What does this mean? What I think it means is that, just like in the beginning of volume 1, Anna is going to be sitting in a restaurant across from a guy, and pushing him off to go be with another girl. A girl that Anna knows loves him, but who never confessed and is about to leave Toyohashi.

This time the love triangle isn't Anna, Sosuke, and Karen. Its Anna, Nukkun, and Lemon instead. Just like in volume 1 when Lemon noticed how miserable Nukkun was after unfriending Anna, and advised him to make up, Anna is going to notice how miserable Nukkun is when Lemon is the one who is leaving. Anna will choose to do the saintly thing again.

This time it is Nukkun who rushes out of the restaurant, leaving Anna behind.

The story doesn't quite end there, because there is another boy watching the drama play out this time. Maybe Sosuke? Or maybe somebody new?

Don't get excited, I remind you this is just speculation. It is lore consistent, and makes a little narrative sense, but that's all. It is extremely unlikely that I've predicted anything with 100% accuracy. But even if I somehow did, there's bound to be lots more romance with lots of girls until the end.

Whoopsie!

Since Nukumizu has reached the point of starting to get un-alive threats in volume 8.5, I think it might be fun to start a list of ways he might meet his demise. Additions are welcome. Don't take it too seriously, obviously if he runs into some truck-san, he'll definitely get isekai'd. Here's a few to start off: Additions are welcome.

1. Chihaya always wanted to get her hands on Nukumizu. One day she did, and unfortunately he dissolved in an experiment. She covered up her crime by replacing him with a robot. Everyone complements him on how much kinder and less rude he has become. And he has more in common with Ayano now.
2. Lemon has been sharing Nukkun's futon, and she is a very restless sleeper, often backslapping him, hugging him, and running in her sleep. One night she forgot about her super-strength. By morning Nukkun had died of internal injuries. Then Lemon finally confessed her love, but it was far too late.
3. Yumeko emerged from a dark corner and latched onto Kazu as usual. He was expecting the usual thrills and chills, but something was different this time. Yumeko's zombie side had finally overruled her gal side. After that first love bite, Kazu was consumed with passion.
4. Kazu received a note from Komari inviting him to come over for a home date. When Kazu got to Komari's house, the door was unlocked and there was a note inviting him to enjoy the milk and cookies waiting for him in the kitchen. After enjoying the snack Kazu couldn't keep his eyes open. Then little brother Susumu emerged from his hiding place. Much later, when Komari and Hime returned from their shopping trip, they found Susumu burying something in the back yard. Mission: Protect sister from manslut: successful!
5. Anna decided for once to get a jump on all the other girls and pushed Nukumizu down in his room for some oral play. Unfortunately she was completely unfamiliar with this skill, with the result that she wound up biting very hard, and Nukumizu and his favorite toy parted company. Once Anna had warm meat in her mouth of course, she reflexively swallowed (answering that question once and for all). Then Anna and the profusely bleeding Nukumizu both panic'd, struck their heads on the door frame, and passed out. When Anna woke up, it was too late, Kazu had expired from blood loss. But this is not the end! In the dead of night Anna smuggled Kazu's body to a Shinto shrine and performed the secret reanimation ritual. She'd done this once before for Yumeko. It worked this time too. Nukumizu rose again as a zombie guy, a little colder and paler than before. And now he's very obedient, almost as if he is a part of her (he is) The best part for Anna is he is just as cold below the waist as above. And she gets to eat all his bentos, since he's not hungry for food.

Auntie makes it her business to know your business

>“My house is just up ahead—”“My house is just up ahead—”
“Why, if it isn’t Tiara-chan!”
The cheerful voice that suddenly overrode hers belonged to a rather plump middle-aged woman.

>Caught off guard, Tiara-san quickly bowed her head.

>“Hello, Michishige-san.”

>“Oh my, what’s this? Usually you call me auntie, but today you’re being all polite.”

>“Ah, well…”

>“Auntie’s a little sad, you know—feels like Tiara-chan’s all grown up now… wait, wait…?”

>It was only then that Michishige-san seemed to notice me. Her eyes widened.
“Oh my! Oh my, oh my! Tiara-chan? Oh my—!”
“Y-you’ve got it wrong!!”

>"Yeah, yeah, of course. I know it's not like that. You know, your auntie had a time like that too, back in the day? With someone who wasn't my current husband. But that's a secret, okay?"
"Th-that’s why I’m saying—it’s not like that!!"

>"I got it, I got it. Auntie understands everything. Sorry to interrupt."
Nodding sagely like she didn’t need to hear another word, Michishige-san passed by with a smile.
For some reason, she gave me a big thumbs-up as she did.

>"Tiara-chan's really growing up—or about to, maybe? Oh my, oh my..."

>The sheer destructive force of a nosy neighborhood auntie... It’s no wonder Tiara-san trembled, covering her face with both hands.

>…I wonder if Yanami’s going to end up like that someday.

Well here he is thinking about Anna, even while he's heading for a private home study date with Tiara. Anna wins right? But is it winning really?

Look at what he is actually thinking. He imagines she's going to be a plump middle-aged, nosy, married auntie, like Michishige-san. Who apparently had a fling with someone not her current husband. This is Nukumizu thinking about Anna as late as volume 8. There is no way in hell this is a romantic image for him.

Tiara's reaction is also interesting. Her nosy auntie has laid Tiara's hopes and intentions bare so quickly. Luckily Nukumizu is too clueless to notice. Or is he?

The day before this was also very interesting. Kaju noticed onii-sama packing books and selecting clothes that night. Kaju immediately deduces its a study date with a girl, since brother isn't going to carefully choose clothes to meet with either of his two guy friends.

As for who brother is going to meet, Kaju doesn't even consider any of the Lit Club girls. There's a variety of reasons for that. Kaju already keeps close tabs on the Lit Club girls, and any of them would simply come over to Kazu's house if they wanted to study. If studying was all they wanted to do...

That's why Kaju is pretty sure its someone not in the Lit Club. She considers Hibari and Yumeko. If Nukkuns goal was actually studying, these two have top grades and could benefit him the most. The third girl---

This could be an emergency. After Basori's reactions during her cooking visit with Kaju, Kaju already has clear idea of Basori's intentions. However just in case it's some new chick Kaju doesn't know it's important to get eyes on the meeting. Kaju either needs to go there in disguise, or send someone in her place.

Probably because Kaju is tied up studying for her exams, she chose to send an agent instead. Somehow Kaju calls Riko and "lets slip" where and when Kazu is meeting someone tomorrow. Riko takes the bait, and also invites Anna along. Exactly as Kaju planned. Riko isn't the sort to eat at a cafe alone (only Anna can do that), and since food is involved, predicting Riko will pick Anna to come along is a sure bet. Eventually Anna and Riko confirm that Kazu is meeting with Tiara today.

You might not have noticed this, but Anna is Kaju's best source for information about onii-sama. She works cheap, for food. She hangs out with Kazu a lot, and is very very nosy. You can see why Nukumizu thinks Anna will be like auntie Michishige-san someday.