Middle school students Nishikata and Takagi sit next to each other in class. Takagi, who is in love with Nishikata, enjoys teasing him with embarrassing pranks and jokes. In response, Nishikata creates plans to get his revenge, but they always fail when she identifies his weaknesses and capitalizes on them.
As before, given how short the bonus chapter is, we will be reading Chapter 9 and the Bonus Chapter in the same week.
Discussion Guidelines
Everybody should feel free to post and ask questionsâitâs what makes book clubs fun! But please do not post until you are familiar with Spoiler Courtesy!
Spoiler Courtesy
Please follow these rules to avoid inadvertent ăăżăăŹ. If youâre unsure whether something should have a spoiler tag, err on the side of using one.
Any potential spoiler for the current weekâs reading need only be covered by a spoiler tag. Predictions and conjecture made by somebody who has not read ahead still falls into this category.
Any potential spoilers for external sources need to be covered by a spoiler tag and include a label (outside of the spoiler tag) of what might be spoiled. These include but are not limited to: other book club picks, other books, games, movies, anime, etc. I recommend also tagging the severity of the spoiler (for example, I may still look at minor spoilers for something that I donât intend to read soon).
Any information from later in the book than the current weekâs reading (including trigger warnings that havenât yet manifested) needs to be hidden by spoiler tags and labeled as coming from later sections.
Instructions for Spoiler Tags
Click the cog above the text box and use either the âHide Detailsâ or âBlur Spoilerâ options. The text which says âThis text will be hiddenâ should be replaced with what you are wishing to write. In the case of âHide Detailsâ, the section in the brackets that is labelled âSummaryâ can be replaced with whatever you like also (i.e, [details=âChapter 1, Pg. 1â]).
Hide Details results in the dropdown box like below:
Example
This is an example of the âHide Detailsâ option.
The âBlur Spoilerâ option will simply blur the text it surrounds.
This is an example of the âBlur Spoilerâ option.
Posting Advice
When asking for help, please mention the page number, and check before posting that your question hasnât already been asked. As the threads get longer, it becomes more convenient to use the Search function, which is located in the upper right corner of the forum. It is the magnifying glass which is near your profile picture! The best way to search is usually to type part of the sentence you are confused about, and select âin this topicâ. This will show you all posts within the current thread which has that string of text.
Be sure to join the conversation! Itâs fun, and itâs what keeps these book clubs lively! Thereâs no such thing as a stupid question! We are all learning here, and if the question has crossed your mind, thereâs a very good chance it has crossed somebody elseâs also! Asking and answering questions is a great learning opportunity for everyone involved, so never hesitate to do so!
When asking for help, please include the âchapter page numberâ. This makes it easier for others to help you and it makes the information in this thread more searchable. The âchapter page numbersâ are the ones in between the panels on every page, not the ones that occasionally appear at the bottom of the page (those would be the volume page numbers).
A good chunk of this volume is going to be no surprise to those who have watched the anime, but it should still be quite cute! Letâs start off Volume 9 with a éæ„ăăč (or well, let Takagi-san and Nishikata handle that for us; Covid and all. )
I felt like joining the fun for Volume 9 ! Nishikata never learns ! He should have seen it coming !
I have a few question, Please enlight me with your wisdom
Also I added some words to the vocabulary list while reading through the chapter.
page 3
ăŸăăŁăăăăăăȘăăȘ
So Iâve read that ăăăăăȘăăȘ means it canât be helped
and ăŸăăŁă conveys a feeling of exasperation
So Nishikata is saying something like âI swear, youâre helplessâ ?
page 7
ăŠăłă€ăœă
I donât understand, this ăŠăł, It appears in three different sentences throughout the chapter and I have no idea what it means
ăȘăŹă«ăŻăŠăłă€ăăȘăăšăèšăŁăŠăă㊠: âYou told me âŠâ and I canât figure the rest
è„żæčăăăä»ăŠăłă€ăăŠăăç§ăźćăĄă : âIf Nishikata âŠ, I winâ
page 11
ăȘăŹăŻćŒăă
Iâve never seen this form ćŒăă. Does someone has an explanation ?
Thank you for adding vocab! @shuly is currently busy, and Iâve gotten so used to him beating me to the punch that I forgot to do it this week.
Pg. 3
Thatâs the basic meaning, yep! Heâs definitely being a bit sarcastic/using it as ammo to tease Takagi-san though, as opposed to actually being exasperated.
Pg. 11
A casual form of ćŒăăȘă. ăȘă sometimes gets shortened to ă in casual speech. A common one youâll likely come across is ăăă/èĄăă.
Iâm not sure how to read this expression, is this relief that he didnât actually go with the indirect kiss or is it a ăŸăŁăăăăă moment?
I think itâs more the latter. Sheâs exasperated at the lengths that heâll go to avoid the indirect kiss. She had a similar expression earlier, when Nishikata said he was happy to see her, and she got excited, and then he continued that it was because he wanted to have another competition. Thatâs why I interpreted it as exasperation.
In volume 1, there was a similar situation and she went straight for the indirect kiss. I donât think she minds such things, or is it because she has feelings for Nishikata ? The author doesnât show her interacting with other boys much, so itâs hard to tell.
Existential question, Is Indirect Kissing really a thing in Japan ? Iâve come across it so many times Iâve stopped questioning it, but do people legitly get embarrassed ?
I guess youâre right even though according to some researchâŠ
Healthier mouth â saliva contains substances that fight bacteria [âŠ] exposure to germs that inhabit your partnerâs mouth strengthens your immune system.
Just kidding, but I find that we have different reason for not doing it. More because we find it dirty than because we are embarassed of indirect kissing. Heck, I didnât even now what it was before Anime !
If you find it dirty, itâs because itâs a random personâs saliva, unless you donât share anything food related with anyone.
I, for example, wouldnât do it with a stranger, but I donât have a problem with drinking from the same bottle as a friend, male or female.
It implies a closer relationship in which at least you know or trust them to be clean or not be sick without telling you.
Of course, thereâs a bit of a leap from that to indirect kiss, but at that age I do think itâs common to be aware and kind of embarrased of being so close to someone of the gender youâre attracted to.
But yes, itâs a thing besides anime.
But anything regarding boys and girls can be used for teasing by classmates and stuff. Like borrowing a pencil from someone, imagine drinking from the same can.
Letâs start off Volume 9 with a éæ„ăăč 
(or well, let Takagi-san and Nishikata handle that for us; Covid and all. 
)
Katakanas ⊠Thank you !
