This thread contains the discussion for chapters 27 - 33.
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Chapter 27
I was all set to comment how this chapter too was way too naive and over the top, cartoonish even in how it portrayed the “villain”, but at the end it seems like maybe the naivety was of the characters in jumping at the first conclusion that was presented to them? I’m still hoping for a dark tale of betrayal, but we’ll see. Once again, I have no idea what this book has in store, but I do hope it has something. (and no comment on the casual quickie hacking of a yakuza boss’s phone at short notice, as requested by a respectful white-collar businessman 
)
Chapter 27.
So they storm into the boss’ office and try to call him out on the events, but the boss does not give the impression at all that he is hiding something. Also, the list of names they received from Amu does not match any company employees. Have they been set up? If so, by Amu or by the Yakuza boss?
Just when the boss starts to threaten them with sueing them for this ruckus, Kouta gets a message from Misaki…
Chapter 28.
What an utter chaos. 
We should have been aware that this girl will appear once more, after she has been introduced so thoroughly in book 1.
But this scene was really beyond silly. Matsumura on her knees apologizing to the boss of the other company, Kouta’s boss on his knees apologizing to Sakaki, Kouta apologizing to Sakaki, the boss sitting on the sofa hanging his head…
Are we now safely in comedy territory? 
If the author does not manage to swing this around in a satisfying manner, I think I’ll be disappointed in our reviewer-youtuber-friend…
Chapter 28.
Well, my hopes were crushed once more. What was that exactly? What manager lets an employee of his be insulted in this way by a stranger, a competitor no less, in his very office? Seriously, you stand in someone else’s office, and sarcastically recite a humiliating interview that happened 9 years ago word for word (possibly doing the voices too), then ask a person you’ve seen once 9 years ago, in front of her superior, whether she’s sleeping around? How? What? Then suddenly, after insulting her in this way, you bow and beg for forgiveness because that way of interviewing was wrong? Yet you did it again a minute ago? And in the end everyone apologizes to each other and things are back to normal and everyone’s happy? What is this? Is the book some kind of isekai light novel after all?
Chapter 29.
After Kouta had another round of unsolicited suspicions he goes with Yuusuke who seems to have found Meme. They indeed discover her in a bar where she works as hostess. Of course she (rightly) blames him for disappearing and not taking care of her all the time, so why does he interfere right now? Also, it was him who set the precedent of working as a host, which she discovered because her classmates found a lot of information about him online. On top of that, she of course has the same gripes as every younger sibling: Everybody is talking about him, looking up to him now that he was successful with the game, and she is only able to go to a good school because of his money, not because of her own power. All true, but it was her who asked for the money in the first place, and given the financial situation of the family, what did she expect to happen? Of course she would only be able through his money. And with her insisting on the cram school and Megumi installing this idea in her head in the first place, she also pushed him quite a bit in that direction…
At least we don’t face the same drama when she leaves the bar, just Kouta mentioning that she is underage is of course enough.
Chapter 30.
Things are getting more interesting again! Kouta invites Yuusuke to drink together in order to his part of the promise, and he tells him everything about Mitsuko. Yuusuke was very close to Mitsuko but completely out of touch during her last year, and it seems they both know quite different persons. Mitsuko used to work in upper management, so why would she suddenly work in accounting? Also she should be rich enough not to need to steal the company’s money. What’s going on? Was it really suicide after all?
Then we have a mysterious delivery to a mysterious guy in a mysterious room in the company. What’s going on there?
And finally, Kouta goes out with his boss in order to question him about Mitsuko, and it turns out the boss suggests the same French restaurant that Mitsuko had suggested way back. This disperses all doubt, and indeed the boss is the mysterious lover who read El Prinicpe before her and gave it to her. This was already pretty clear from the interview, so no big surprise. Finally Kouta asks about why she worked in accounting, and the boss said that was power harassment. Does this mean the boss forced her to take this position? Or was it somebody else? Did the boss blush because of anger about that other person?
Chapters 27-28
It felt like the tempo increased somewhat? So while I see what you mean with things drifting a bit much into the comical/unrealistic (is it? I’ve never worked corporate jobs in Japan), I enjoyed these two chapters more than the first 7.
Also, way to sprint ahead @NicoleIsEnough ! That’s really motivating to read just one more chapter… 
Chapter 31.
Turns out it was her who harrassed somebody else - but Kouta doesn’t look like he believes this story. So although the boss warned him not to investigate further, of course he doesn’t care and finds out that it was a person who is the son of a powerful figure in the company empire. In order to learn more, he even attends the year-end-party, but his opponent didn’t show up yet …
EDIT:
Luckily the chapters are still short enough that it’s quite easy to read one more, and then one more in bed 
Also, I just decided on my reading goal for 2023 which is 10,000 pages 
and so I need to read my share every day 
Chapter 29.
This took me ages to finish, I kept losing concentration. This book better do something to regain my interest soon. So his sister resents him for all kinds of stuff, only some of which is logical, but that’s 18 year olds for you. Especially the “I want to succeed on my own, not follow anyone” when you go and do the exact thing your brother did, and the “You broke up with a person I cared about”, as if she expected him to stay in a relationship just for her sake… Not unrealistic though. And 光汰 hasn’t been the ideal brother either. Her still not being able to get over 恵 after so many years is somewhat worrying though. Oh well. Now 光汰 has to finally face his past, and hopefully there will be some mystery surrounding 美津子’s circumstances before I’m bored to death.
Edit: Forgot to add, the most shocking thing in this chapter for me was that they left their beer cans on the swings. Just why?
Chapter 30.
Finally! This was a much better chapter, I sincerely hope the trend continues. So funny that 八千草 waited all these years to be questioned by 光汰 on 美津子. Hope there are interesting revelations in store. (and we need to know about that mysterious room at some point)
Re chapter 30.
I was equally relieved Let’s see how this unfolds going forward…
Finished Chapter 32.
It’s always useful to be friends with a barkeeper and to be able to tell them to serve one’s cocktail without alcohol when one is trying to knock out one’s opponent Worked like a charm.
And I did not know that you can copy a key just from a photo and an outline… 
Or is this SciFi-talk as well? 
I wonder what role that dog will play going forward…?
Has been possible for 15 years at least, probably longer if you were the security services and cared to do it by hand…
Wow, that article is creepy 
Thanks for sharing.
Chapter 31-33
This has finally gotten interesting. And 光汰 is now firmly in criminal territory, even if it’s supposedly for a good cause. Funny how both ユースケ and 芽々 are so attached to a person from their past that they can’t move on - they both even got into the nightlife business because of that. ユースケ may hate lying, but he definitely has nothing against violence. I have some sympathy for 加賀宮 because of all the pets and how much he evidently cares for them. Hope they don’t come to any harm.
See you in the last thread!