Finished chapter 23.
Osaka. That’s where 雫’s family lives. Anyone else think some old acquaintances may have something to do with this? And 亜夢 was looking for interesting articles to write…
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Spoilers up to and including chapter 25
So far, I think his biggest role will be forcing 光太 to face his past. It seems he mostly dealt with the trauma by not thinking about it and distancing himself from anyone he cared about. That doesn’t sound terribly healthy.
It’s interesting that he seems to still be on good terms with his old host buddies. I guess time will show whether that’s because it’s only skin deep, or if they actually maintained good relations throughout 8 years of no contact.
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Up to Chapter 25:
Oh yes absolutely! But will this be enough to fill 300 pages? 
Finished Chapter 26.
So Amu uses one Yakuza boss to check out things… and he finds out more about the Friends and their entanglement with a rival company who are planning to let Ghost Town become economically unattractive and then take it over. (Hope I got this right, I didn’t follow the politics and connections 100%).
He wants to write an article about it but the Yakuza boss did not allow that. Kouta‘s boss makes him write and publish the article anyway, and then they go visit the rival company…
Meanwhile Meme sent cash home, and the suspicion is that she is now in horizontal business… 
In other news: See you in the next thread!
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Chapter 25
Right, I keep expecting things to get dark and so far it’s all good pals supporting each other as if no time had passed at all. I too think that ユウスケ is there only to make 光太 face his past. 光太 has been running away: from his family, from his host past. I’d say from 美津子 too, but then he lives in her flat…
I wonder why his sister would leave her phone behind. If she was going to live on her own, wouldn’t she take at least some of her things, and definitely her phone? Did anyone look in her closets? Compare the letter’s handwriting to her homework? (yes, I read too many crime novels, what of it?). And after so long, why would she have 恵’s birthday as a password? Do they keep in touch? Wouldn’t it make sense to ask 恵 if she knows something? I found it interesting how all data was erased from Meme’s phone, and also from that yakuza guy’s phone. I can’t see how there can be a connection, but an interesting coincidence nonetheless.
I don’t know why, but so far I’m not reading the second volume with the same enthusiasm. It may be my mood, but I feel like too many things are teased, and too few things are actually happening.
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Re Chapter 25
She loved her and surely misses her a lot, so that doesn’t really seem too strange to me. On the other hand, now that I think about it once more, it somehow goes in the same direction as Kouta’s living in Mitsuko‘s old apartment - maybe the family is just weird 
Yes, same here. This volume is definitely much weaker so far.
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Chapter 26.
This is starting to remind me of the “雫 returns to Tuberose a hero” chapter. So now two salary men and an assistant barge in and manage to see the CEO of the rival company that’s in cahoots with the yakuza to destroy them? And 亜夢 is fine risking his life for his old friend who he has basically known for like a couple of months in actual time they’ve been together, because apparently he’s good at hiding? This is getting into silly territory again. Hope it gets better soon. By the way, the author really hasn’t managed to make me care about the fate of that stupid Ghost Town game. I couldn’t care less about it failing.
I don’t remember anything as specific as that (although that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there, my eyes glazed over while I was reading all that company intrigue). I just understood that ラスコース was in the pachinko and game arcade business, and it had failed to produce a hit product lately, so rumour is that they’re close to bankruptcy. I guess their hope was that if they attack the competition, their own products will regain popularity?
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Re chapter 26.
Right? 
All I had in my mind was
Yeah, hard same. I think the only thing that vaguely touches me is that if the original game fails, then the mobile game will not go forward, which would be a bit sad for Kouta. In the West, we tend to think that that’s the company’s problem, not his personal one. But in Japan, people identify themselves with their jobs to an extent that is unimaginable to me. This is probably one of the key identifiers for this culture clash in this second book.
Now I need to finish Chapter 27 because I’m aching to comment on it! Read it yesterday evening until close to the end but couldn’t keep my eyes open long enough…
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Re: chapter 26
Yeah I get that, but on the other hand I wouldn’t mind Kouta failing hard at this point. Maybe his life would get a bit more interesting if he did. 
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Chapters 20-26.
Yeah, also same. I think the first volume build up such a strong cast of characters and emotional connection, and now we’re starting from zero again - only with zero emotional investment, since 光太 has closed himself off emotionally and actually.
Which just leaves us with the bare bones of circumstances we don’t yet care about.
Anyway, hopefully this changes soon.
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I intended to read a bunch of this on my flight home but I was hungover so let’s just say my focus wasn’t great. I’m…not feeling this one.
I was super bored by the first chapter (felt like way more setup than necessary), kinda meh about the second chapter, and the trajectory of the story already feels a bit obvious. 悪夢 the backstabber is back in his life and he earns pocket money reporting on scandals? Gosh. The nephew of the 美津子 has been stalking 光太 and totally has a connection to 亜夢 as well? Gee. 
Maybe it was just grumpy hungover-on-a-plane me, but I didn’t even want to read much more of it. I will, since it bothers me to leave things incomplete and the book is pretty easy, but man I hope it doesn’t go the direction I think it is. That’s just not exciting at all. 
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I just checked @omk3 's review on Natively and the ratings @NicoleIsEnough and @Belerith gave and I’m going to shelve this book. It looks like my initial feeling was not just hangover grump.
I appreciate you all going first 
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I cannot blame you for that decision at all…
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