I think it’s officially been about a week since my last update (not counting the reading I’ll be doing today which I’ll post later tonight). Things have gotten very busy earlier on in the week so truthfully, I only read about a page or two per day of 夜カフェ until the last couple days where I read the rest of chapter 4 plus chapters 5 and 6 on Friday and got chapter 7 in yesterday before I had to return the book to the library.
I knew going in that it would be very difficult to finish the book in 2 weeks, but I still feel kind of sad that I couldn’t get that extra push in there to do it. I’m also a little upset at myself for not renewing the book earlier so I wouldn’t be caught in this situation (possibly waiting 2+ weeks to finish reading it), but I’m sure some junior high school student is looking forward to reading it, so I’m also glad I chose not to hog it for 4 straight weeks.
I’m a little concerned that while waiting for a long period I’ll lose the momentum to finish the book down the road, but with the Beginner Book Club choosing that book as its next read, that should help bring back the motivation to pick it up again.
In the end, I’m glad I didn’t speed through it. While I do feel invested in the story, I know I picked that book as my first to get used to the novel format and build reading stamina as well as broaden my vocab. And if I had sacrificed the learning aspect of it just so I could say I finished reading it faster, I’m sure I would feel more disappointed. Anyway, at least I’ll be able to start on some new material without guilt today! (probably PokeSpecial Vol 2 lol)
夜カフェ１ (page 55 of 185 - chapter 4)
Summary: Hanabi counts down the minutes before her mother and father come to pick her up and she has to use find the courage to express her feelings. Meanwhile, they have supper before the awaited time. When her parents come, they bring a Mont Blanc cake to eat together. They sit around and talk and Hanabi carefully chooses her words but has to correct herself constantly so she doesn’t give them the wrong idea of how she truly feels. Eventually they come to an understanding and Hanabi is given the permission to stay as long as she agrees to come home during weekends (I think this detail is covered in the next chapter).
Then Hanabi and Aiko take a bath together and have a girls talk. Hanabi expresses her embarrassment over Yamato seeing her that morning when she wasn’t quite ready, and Aiko tells her a story of how she shocked Yamato when he caught her while wearing a face mask. With their little moment together, Aiko helps Hanabi to loosen her formalities and relax.
Vocab for Reference - New words are bolded
腹ごしらえ・はらごしらえ・having a meal (before doing something); fortifying oneself with a meal
殻・から・shell; husk; hull; pod; chaff
手先・てさき・fingers; fingertips
器用・きよう・skillful; skilful; adroit; dexterous; dextrous; deft; nimble; handy
沸かす・わかす・to boil; to heat
棚・たな・shelf; ledge; rack
上段・じょうだん・upper tier; upper section; upper deck; upper row; upper step; upper grade; upper berth; top shelf
雪平なべ・ゆきひらなべ・light-coloured ceramic cooking pan with a lid and short spout
押さえる・おさえる・to cover (esp. a part of one’s body with one’s hand); to clutch (a body part in pain); to press (a body part)
ぶすっと・sullenly; sulkily; glumly; sourly
視線・しせん・one’s line of sight; one’s gaze; one’s eyes (looking); glance; gaze; look
てきぱき・briskly; quickly; promptly
おたおた・flustered; flurried; (shocked) speechless
威勢・いせい・spirits; vigor; vigour; energy; boldness
憂鬱・ゆううつ・depression; melancholy; dejection; gloom; despondency
放送中・ほうそうちゅう・on air; broadcasting
さまざま・various; varied; diverse; all sorts of
透かさず・すかさず・without a moment’s delay
突っ込み・つっこみ・quip; gibe; jab; dig; retort; riposte; comeback
やり取り・やりとり・giving and taking; exchange (of letters); arguing back and forth; (conversational) exchange
口元・くちもと・shape of the mouth
綻びる・ほころびる・to smile broadly; to break into a smile
差も・さも・really (seem, appear, etc.); truly; evidently
にっこり・sweetly (smiling); broadly (grinning)
大仰・おおぎょう・exaggerated; overblown; pretentious
波風・なみかぜ・strife; discord; dissension
瞳・ひとみ・pupil (of eye)
入浴中・にゅうよくちゅう・(someone) is now taking a bath
泡・あわ・bubble; foam; froth; suds; lather
ばっちり・enough; sufficiently; thoroughly; completely
ぱっく・face mask; face pack; facial mask; facial
ぎょっと・being startled
拍子・びょうし・the moment; the instance; chance
改まる・あらたまる・to be renewed; to change
ぷっと・pouting (with displeasure)
夜カフェ１ (page 67 of 185 - chapter 5)
Summary: The next day, Hanabi finds a seashell-themed backpack and a brand new set of gym clothes inside of it near the shoe boxes at school. The backpack is pretty dirty, so she thinks it must have been thrown out. Then she realizes she remembers seeing the fashionable girl using it and decides she must have been bullied and felt like she had to throw it away. Hanabi checks the name tag and finds out the girl is also a first-year student and goes to look for her in the class but finds out she isn’t there. She also learns that her name is Tina.
Deciding to take the bag with her, she goes back to the convenience store to see if she can find her there like last time. Instead, she finds Yamato working part-time as a cashier. She tries to start a conversation with him, but being at work, he tries to avoid small talk and just do his job. Again, Hanabi feels like he’s just being cold to her for no reason.
Hanabi returns to Aiko’s house with the duplicate key she’s given and gets ready to try her first day as a waitress. She serves the customers and they’re friendly to her. She’s surprised that the cafe is busy up until closing hours. She consults with Aiko about her encounter with Yamato earlier, and she suggests that maybe he wasn’t trying to be cold on purpose, but he felt like chit chat was unnecessary while he’s supposed to be working. Instead of considering this perspective, Hanabi doesn’t feel like that was the case but shrugs it off. She also brings up how he just seems really off and brings up her concern if it’s really safe to have a stranger staying with them.
Just as she says this, Yamato comes home and reassures her that he’ll be leaving soon anyway. Aiko finally decides to tell Hanabi his circumstances - that his father has remarried after the death of his wife, and things are hard for him. He’s being treated properly, but he doesn’t feel like he belongs in the house anymore so he decided to stay with Aiko. Hanabi feels bad about her attitude and decides to make a sign and hang it by his door to help him feel more welcome.
What’s interesting in this chapter is we finally learn the mystery girl’s name is Tina, and it’s a キラキラネーム or a not so common Japanese name - usually implies that the person’s name sounds foreign or non-Japanese yet uses kanji.
Vocab for Reference - New words are bolded
翌日・よくじつ・next day
距離・きょり・distance; range; interval
のろのろ・slowly; sluggishly
下駄箱・げたばこ・shoe rack (in an entrance); cupboard (for shoes and clogs)
昇降口・しょうこうぐち・entrance; hatch(way)
布・ぬの・cloth
泥まみれ・どろまみれ・muddy; covered with mud; mud-caked
持ち主・もちぬし・owner; proprietor; possessor (e.g. of talent, beauty, etc.)
払い・はらい・sweeping; clearing away
真新しい・まあたらしい・brand new
体操着・たいそうぎ・gym clothes; gym uniform; PE kit
接する・せっする・to receive (e.g. visitor); to attend to; to serve; to take care of; to look after; to act towards; to deal with; to see
差し出す・さしだす・to present; to submit; to tender; to hold out
合鍵・あいかぎ・duplicate key
じっくり・deliberately; carefully; thoroughly; without rushing
伝票・でんぴょう・chit; sales slip; voucher
特製・とくせい・special make; deluxe
お辞儀・おじぎ・bow; bowing
添える・そえる・to garnish; to accompany (as a card does a gift）
閉店時間・へいてんじかん・closing hours (of a store, restaurant, etc.)
納得・なっとく・understanding; satisfaction (e.g. with an explanation); being convinced
見知らぬ・みしらぬ・strange; unfamiliar; unknown
再婚・さいこん・second marriage; remarriage
どっと・in a rush; in a surge; flooding in; pouring in
しょんぼり・downheartedly; dejectedly; dispiritedly; despondently
画用紙・がようし・drawing paper
縁取り・ふちどり・hemming; bordering
同居人・どうきょにん・housemate; flatmate; roommate
隙間・すきま・crevice; crack; gap; opening; clearance
夜カフェ１ (page 81 of 185 - chapter 6)
This chapter was a little painful to get through since Hanabi describes her needlework with lots of detail. If you’re a seamstress or interested in that kind of work, then all of the related vocab might interest you, but it was hard for me to get through. Truthfully, I slugged through it so I could reach the end of the chapter to find out how Tina would react to the bag, and it was worth it considering we get further development between Hanabi and Yamato as well.
To summarize this chapter, Hanabi gets to work with cleaning and repairing the bag she picked up at school. She truly wants to make Tina happy so she goes above and beyond to make sure it fits Tina’s image as well (make it look fashionable). By the time she finds her at school and works up the courage to give it to her, Tina surprises her by rejecting the back and running off. I get the impression that she might have a sad memory attached to the bag which we might uncover later. Anyway, just while Hanabi gets rejected, guess who was watching? Yup, it’s Yayako who obviously has nothing nice to say - she tells Hanabi that she’s just trying to be a goody-goody and it backfired on her.
Feeling like she’s hated by everyone around her including Yamato as well, she wanders to a park and cries. But who finds her this time? It’s Yamato! He hears Hanabi out and gets made for her. He tells her not to be apologetic or to blame herself for what she did. The other person should have been more thankful and at least offered words of gratitude for her effort. Going forward, Hanabi feels a little more confident and practices not apologizing all the time. The ending of this chapter had nice feels, so all that new vocab dump for several pages earlier didn’t feel so bad after.
Vocab for Reference - New words are bolded
直接・ちょくせつ・direct; immediate; personal; firsthand
呑気・のんき・carefree; optimistic; careless; reckless; heedless; happy-go-lucky; easygoing; thoughtless
抱える・かかえる・to have (problems, debts, etc.); to take on (a responsibility); to be burdened with (e.g. care of a family member); to have (children, etc.) to provide for
所々・ところどころ・here and there; in places
こびり付く・こびりつく・to stick to; to cling to; to adhere to
検索・けんさく・looking up (e.g. a word in a dictionary); retrieval (e.g. data); searching for
乾かす・かわかす・to dry (clothes, etc.); to desiccate
埃・ほこり・dust
こびり付く・こびりつく・to stick to; to cling to; to adhere to
洗剤・せんざい・detergent; cleanser; cleaning agent; washing material
石鹸・せっけん・soap
塗る・ぬる・ to spread; to smear
注意事項・ちゅういじこう・things to note; matters that require attention; important points; considerations; precautions; suggestions; warnings
危うく・あやうく・barely; narrowly
知恵・ちえ・wisdom; wit; sagacity; sense; intelligence
持ちて・もちて・handle; grip
蘇る・よみがえる・to be resurrected; to be resuscitated; to be rehabilitated; to be revived; to be refreshed; to be restored
模様・もよう・pattern; figure; design
ミシン・sewing machine
筒状・つつじょう・cylindrical; tubular
両端・りょうはし・both ends; either end; both edges
厚め・あつめ・thick (esp. paper, cloth)
ざくざく・cutting into large pieces; loosely weaving
感触・かんしょく・feel (i.e. tactile sensation); touch; feeling; sensation; texture (e.g. food, cloth)
細長い・ほそながい・long and narrow
中表・なかおもて・cloth folded inside out
片側・かたがわ・one side
ひっくり返す・ひっくりかえす・to turn over; to turn upside down; to turn up; to turn inside out; to turn out
原型・げんけい・original form; base form
重なり・かさなり・overlapping; piling; stacking
分厚く・ぶあつく・bulky; massive; thick; heavy
グイっと・suddenly and forcefully (e.g. jerk, poke, shove)
頑丈・がんじょう・solid; firm; stout; burly; strong; sturdy
汗ばむ・あせばむ・to be sweaty
救急箱・きゅうきゅうばこ・first-aid kit
絆創膏・ばんそうこう・adhesive bandage; sticking plaster; band-aid
すっと・quietly; gently; softly
浮かべる・うかべる・to show on one’s face (smile, sadness, etc.)
裁縫・さいほう・sewing; needlework
修理・しゅうり・repair; mending; fixing; servicing
一方的・いっぽうてき・one-sided; unilateral; arbitrary
宙・ちゅう・space; air; midair
微か・かすか・faint; dim; weak; slight; vague; indistinct
気を取り直す・きをとりなおす・to pull oneself together; to collect oneself (after a failure); to regain control (of oneself)
勢い・いきおい・force; vigor; vigour; energy; spirit; life
漸く・ようやく・finally; at last
びくともしない・unyielding; not giving an inch
始末をする・始末する・to get rid of
改めて・あらためて・once again; anew
眺める・ながめる・to look at; to gaze at; to watch; to stare at
手提げ・てさげ・handbag; purse
見かけず・みかけず・to (happen to) see; to notice; to catch sight of
半ば・なかば・middle; halfway; midway
きりっと・having a crisp appearance; stiffly; tensely; smartly (e.g. dressed); neatly
すらり・long, slender and well-proportioned
体型・たいけい・figure; body shape; build; physique; form
慌てる・あわてる・to hurry; to rush; to hasten
見つめる・みつめる・to stare (at); to gaze (at); to look hard (at); to watch intently; to fix one’s eyes (on)
お節介・おせっかい・meddling; meddlesomeness; nosiness; interference; officiousness
余計なお世話・よけいなおせわ・none of your business; not your concern
尖った・とがった・sharp (e.g. voice); on edge (e.g. nerves)
足早・あしばや・fast (walking); quick; brisk
校舎・こうしゃ・school building; schoolhouse
呆然・ぼうぜん・dumbfounded; overcome with surprise; in blank amazement; in a daze
立ちすくむ・たちすくむ・to be petrified; to be unable to move; to be paralyzed (with horror); to be stupefied (with amazement)
背後・はいご・back; rear
冷やかす・ひやかす・to banter; to make fun of; to jeer at
振る・ぶる・to assume the air of …; to behave like …
いい子ぶる・いいこぶる・to act the goody-goody; to pretend to be nice
澄ます・すます・to put on airs
撥ね付けるはねつける・to flatly refuse; to reject; to spurn
気に障る・きにさわる・to hurt one’s feelings; to rub someone the wrong way
必死・ひっし・frantic; frenetic; desperate
頭を振る・あたまをふる・to shake one’s head (in denial)
縄・なわ・rope; cord
へなへな・weakly; helplessly
蘇る・よみがえる・to be recalled (e.g. memories); to be brought back
薄ら・うすら・slight; light; thin; faint; dim
含む・ふくむ・to express (emotion, etc.); to imply
服装・ふくそう・garments; attire
突き返す・つきかえす・to reject; to send back
漏らす・もらす・to let out (a secret); to leak (information); to divulge; to disclose; to let slip
厄介・やっかい・trouble; burden; nuisance; bother; worry
照れる・てれる・to be shy; to be bashful; to feel awkward; to feel embarrassed
頷く・うなずく・to nod; to bow one’s head in assent; to agree
去る・さる・to leave; to go away
I’ve ordered a copy and plan to read it next. There’s some really helpful resources out there that can help supplement your reading if you’re feeling a little less than confident in tackling it.
For example, I ordered the Kadokawa Tsubasa Bunko Edition which has full furigana making it easier to look up unknown kanji. The drawback is this copy’s 2nd or 3rd chapter is different from the original copy. And as far as I know, they only made this edition for the first book, but if you look up the vocab you don’t know in the first book, chances are, a lot of them will be repeated throughout the rest of the series if you plan to read the rest of them.
I’m also going to refer to the Intermediate Book Club Discussion Thread. I’m sure there will be things that I’ll have questions about that will probably be answered in the past discussion threads, so it’s good to keep a tab open while reading along. I believe if you have any questions, you can still post in those threads and people will come to help answer still.
And if it’s too discouraging to keep looking up the vocab while reading, you can also refer to Koohi’s vocab list while reading along. I believe there’s a list for book 2 as well.
I played 999 for a bit and my brain just wasn’t having it, so I pulled out Katamari Damacy as something I could just play without looking stuff up (which was correct, it’s not super difficult but the king speaks in like 90% katakana soooo that’s a thing lmao), then I wanted to try Earthbound since it just came out on the switch and I’ve never played it, but then I remembered Earthbound itself is the localized version so then I set up Japanese switch account and messed around with some of those games, and then my brain said “I wanna play Danganronpa” so I did 
I love them with my whole heart
It’s 02:30AM 
地球温暖化 