I’ve been busy the last couple days renewing my driver’s license, but I managed to squeeze some reading in. I could have just counted the day at the 免許 center as a reading day from the quiz I had to take and the video we had to watch (thankfully with Japanese subtitles and furigana). Not to mention the Powerpoint with lots of difficult kanji 
but I also wanted to read for fun too. Glad I don’t have to go back for a few more years.
Also got my first library card in Japan yesterday, so I checked out 夜カフェ since it sounded interesting from the nomination post in the Beginner Book Club thread. I only started a page because I spent nearly a whole day at the library trying to look through things and figure out the system, but it’s easy to read so far. It feels nice that it’s targeted towards younger junior high school children, but the writing is still accessible to someone like me who hasn’t tackled a real book yet (besides the ones aimed at elementary school kids).
１月27日 ~ Day 27 / Back to Home
Pocket Monsters Special Volume 145 page of 200 (14 pages total - chapter 10)
As Red progresses to Kuchiba City, he meets the Chairman of the Pokemon Daisuki Club (We Love Pokemon Club) who forces Red to show his Pokemon so he can give 'em some love, especially Pikachu whom he seems very fond of (although Pikachu can’t reciprocate the feeling… to anyone really). We learn that Red has had Nyorozo since it was a Nyoromo, so it’s really fond of him and used to being loved (only proves that Red has a big heart for his Pokemon).
We also learn that Team Rocket has been stealing Pokemon in the area (I don’t think it was confirmed who it was, but Red probably has his suspicions) including the Chairman’s Casey (Abra) and another club member’s Nassy (Exeggutor). Red can’t help but understand their feelings of losing a precious Pokemon and returns to the ship with suspicious boxes in them to confirm what he suspects. Red unwittingly picks up something that looks like a Monster Ball only to be surprised by an electric shock from a Biriridama (Voltorb). Red’s Nyorozo jumps in to protect him and gets instantly KO’d from the super effective hit.
And guess who’s behind it? The gym leader Matis who specializes in electric Pokemon! Now that I think of it, it makes perfect sense for him to be in kahoots with Team Rocket considering his background. It also makes sense considering all those electric Pokemon traps in the games. If only they introduced subplots of the gym leaders being bad guys in the games! I think it would have made it more interesting.
Vocab for Reference - New words are bolded
探検・たんけん・exploration; expedition
物音・ものおと・sounds
迷い・まよい・hesitation; bewilderment; perplexity; doubt; indecision
腰・こし・lower back; waist; hips; lumbar region
奢る・おごる・to be proud; to be haughty (only written in kana for this meaning)
ますます・increasingly; more and more
中身・なかみ・contents; interior; filling
決定・けってい・decision; determination
我が・わが・my
名誉会員・めいよかいいん・honorary member
認定する・にんていする・to acknowledge
投函・とうかん・mailing; posting
聞き分け・ききわけ・reasonableness (esp. of children); obedience
設立する・せつりつする・to establish
可愛がる・かわいがる・to be affectionate to; to treat tenderly; to dote on; to show one’s love (for); to cherish
会報・かいほう・bulletin (issued by a society); report; newsletter
注目・ちゅうもく・notice; attention; observation
慣れ方・なれかた・how to get used to
一向に・いっこうに・(not) at all; (not) a bit; (not) in the least
被害・ひがい・(suffering) damage; injury; harm
盗難事件・とうなんじけん・theft case
つまり・that is to say; that is; in other words
大量・たいりょう・large quantity
飼い主・かいぬし・(pet) owner; keeper
一気に・いっきに・in one go; in one gulp; in one breath; without stopping; without pausing; without resting; in one sitting; at a stretch; all at once
抱く・だく・to hold in one’s arms (e.g. a baby); to embrace; to hug
裏手・うらて・back (esp. of a building, etc.); rear; behind
気のせい・きのせい・in one’s imagination
紛らわしい・まぎらわしい・easily mixed up (e.g. similar words); easily mistaken; confusingly similar; misleading; equivocal; ambiguous
最も・もっとも・most; extremely
招く・まねく・to call in; to send for; to summon
乗客・じょうきゃく・passenger
厳しい・きびしい・severe
罰・ばつ・punishment; penalty
与える・あたえる・to give (esp. to someone of lower status)
仕来り・しきたり・custom; convention; tradition; mores; conventional practice
お仕置き・おしおき・punishment (of children)
１月28日 ~ Day 28
Pocket Monsters Special Volume 159 page of 200 (14 pages total - chapter 11)
That was a really intense chapter! Matis is even more dangerous than Koga. He had no qualms about outright killing Red, but thanks to Nyorozo evolving into Nyorobon, they survived and got all the stolen Pokemon back. Unfortunately for the chairman of the Pokemon Daisuki Club, his Casey evolved into Foodin. At least he’s got a new strong companion to protect him! But it’s just not the same… the Chairman loves cute Pokemon after all.
We got to see a little more backstory hint when Red nearly drowned in the sea. Apparently his Nyoromo evolved in time to save him back then as well. What’s funny is Nyorozo couldn’t evolve unless it found a Water Stone somewhere in the sea. Since it’s not entirely impossible, it’s not so improbable that it touched a stone or a shard and evolved.
The other thing is Matis’s dialogue is a bit difficult to follow at times. The author chose to use a lot of katakana for some of his words. At least compared to the Japanese games where he’s straight up saying Japanglish in katakana (to show that he’s a foreigner), at least he’s using real Japanese. It still makes it hard when looking up words though. I don’t mind not seeing him for a while. 
Vocab for Reference - New words are bolded
がかり・p145
惚け・ボケ・fool; idiot
救出・きゅうしゅつ・rescue
報酬・ほうしゅう・remuneration; recompense; reward
粋がる・いきがる・to be pretentious; to put on airs; to try to appear smart; to act brave; to try to look cool
一撃・いちげき・blow; hit; stroke
取り分け・とりわけ・especially; above all
凶暴・きょうぼう・ferocious; brutal; atrocious; savage; barbarous
侵入者・しんにゅうしゃ・intruder; invader; trespasser; raider
番犬・ばんけん・watchdog
底力・そこぢから・hidden reserves of strength; latent energy; potentiality; real strength
大将・だいしょう・head; chief; leader; boss; kingpin
追っかける・おっかける・to chase; to run after; to pursue
ああやって・like that; that way
退却・たいきゃく・retreat; withdrawal; retirement
避ける・さける・to avoid
反対・はんたい・opposite; backwards
誘導・ゆうどう・guidance; leading; induction; introduction; incitement; inducement
有刺鉄線・ゆうしてっせん・barbed wire
脱出・だっしゅつ・escape; break-out
不可能・ふかのう・impossible
コソコソ・sneakily; secretly; stealthily; on the sly
嗅ぎまわる・かぎまわる・to snoop around; to nose about
思い知る・おもいしる・to realize; to realise
数時間後・すうじかんご・several hours later
行方不明・ゆくえふめい・missing (of a person); lost; unaccounted for; whereabouts unknown
大活躍・だいかつやく・being very active; being very useful; playing a very active part; making a spectacular showing; great efforts; splendid work
１月29日 ~ Day 29
夜カフェ pages 5
I really only read one page to see if this book was doable, so there’s not much to talk about. The protagonist is at the computer checking her exam results for Ryusei Private Middle School. She enters all the relevant information and waits until to find a “Not Passing” result on her page. To be honest, this is a good first page. It makes you wonder what she’s going to do next now that she hasn’t passed. Will she be able to go to school? etc.
Vocab for Reference - New words are bolded
深呼吸する・しんこきゅうする・to take a deep breath
画面・がめん・screen (of a TV, computer, etc.)
置く・おく・to put; to place
中等部・中等部・middle school (esp. the middle school section of a school that also encompasses other grades); junior high school
合格発表・ごうかくはっぴょう・presentation on who passed the exam
きっかり・punctually; exactly on time
入力・にゅうりょく・input; (data) entry
飛び込む・とびこむ・to jump in; to leap in; to plunge into; to dive
不合格・ふごうかく・(examination) failure; rejection; disqualification