April 12, 2013

Kimi ni Todoke [Chapter 78]

Sawako has finished dressing up for school. It is the start of the third term. Ayane feels a bit uneasy with Kent happily looking at her in a very close distance. He tells her about going hanami [watching flowers] when spring comes and he knows a place where there are beautiful sakura blossoms. She tells him that he’s too near but he claims that he cannot endure being far from her. While they are fussing about that, Soichi asks if they are going steady. Kent happily asks if Soichi realized it and he wants the whole world to know that he’s going steady with Ayane. Ayane tells him to shut up. Kent continues to talk to her about the hanami. While the others say that he [Soichi] was jilted, Soichi tearfully complains to Shouta that those two are going steady. At the toilet, Ayane tells her friends about being embarrassed to death since she hasn’t gone steady with a classmate before but then, this isn’t the first time for Kent to do embarrassing things. Chizuru asks her if she is going to eat lunch with Kent. She says ya. After they came out, Kent arrives and gives Ayane her share of food. Ayane says that she brought strawberries that they can eat together. As the two walk away, Chizuru comments that those two are quite affectionate. Sawako agrees and she is happy for those two look very happy. While the two girls are eating in the classroom, Shouta exclaims that it is bento. Chizuru asks Ryu if he’s eating at the canteen. He says, ya. Ryu stares at the onigiri that Chizuru is eating. It is his favorite. Chizuru doesn’t want to give it to him but in the end, she gives in but in exchange, he’ll buy bread for her. Shouta comments that what Sawako is eating looks delicious. She asks if he is also going to eat at the canteen. Shouta says ya. He is amazed that Sawako made the bento herself everyday and the one she gave him before was delicious. So, Sawako offers to make him one next time. The other guys comment that those two are like silly lovers and Sawako smiles more. As Shouta goes out, the guys ask what he does with Sawako. He says a lot of fun stuff. He is surprised-embarrassed when they ask if they also kiss. And, it is time for the career aspiration interview. Pin tells the students who are going to be interviewed after school dismissal and Ayane is included. Her friends decide to go ahead and leave Ayane with Kent. Kent tells her that he’ll wait for her. In the interview room, Pin says that these schools are no problem given her grades. He asks if she wants to go to a better school and didn’t she join any clubs and doesn’t she want to go into school council. Ayane declines and says that school is good enough. Pin asks if there are other places she wants to go. He keeps on insisting on this that Ayane tells him that she will find a school suitable for her and take an exam there. Then, she recalls Pin asking her if there is something she really, really wants to do, and that Pin wants to play high school baseball again.
Pin starts laughing and tells her not to put on make-up during the interview and taking her picture for passport, because if not, she would be thought of as a substitute for the difference is quite great. He dismisses her that she angrily says thank you. She returns to the classroom to find Kent waiting for her. While walking, it turns out that Kent is also going to the college where she is going. Kent is excited over this that he wants for them to graduate soon. After saying that it is still a year before they graduate, she comments that he is always optimistic for she only has to think of this issue of going to college, she felt very pressured. He asks her what her junior high is like. She says that junior high is volleyball. She became the setter when she is obviously isn’t for that but she made the team. She mentioned something about after recovering, there is no one following her. [<- Not sure if it is recovered from a hit or from how the team just decided a position which isn’t suitable for her]. There is a guy, her classmate, whom a teammate likes but he came running and confessed to her [Ayane] instead. She rejected him since she doesn’t like him but this made her teammates displeased. She had told them that she didn’t like the guy but they blame her about that girl being pitiful and started to scold her for it. So, before the last big match, she quit the team. She decided to totally give up the team and her teammates, and none of them took an exam to this school. She says this reason is quite awful and quite silly. He asks that she could have gone to a faraway place. Ayane says that she has misgivings about leaving home since she isn’t good at dorm and social-type of living. Kent happily says that thanks to that, he was able to meet her. Ayane asks him what’s good about her. Kent says everything, of course, everything. She says that she doesn’t quite like herself. Kent asks for her hand. While holding her hand to him, Kent says, “I like this awkward Ayane. Like[/love] Forever.” Ayane[?] says “..when I was young, I’m quick-witted and fundamentally can do anything-” Kent adds, “But, ..still very awkward.” And, they lean closer to kiss. Then, the next day[?], Ryu comes out of the interview room. He goes to the classroom where Shouta is planning to wait until Sawako is finished with her interview. Luckily, his father is out for today. Ryu tells Chizuru that he’s finished and Pin is calling her. After she left, Ryu goes to club practice. In the interview room, Pin looks at her first aspiration of ramen which was crossed and becomes ‘don’t know’. Pin is discussing this when Chizuru is already fervently denying that she wants to open a ramen store. Then, Pin comments that actually, it really suits her. Soon, Chizuru tearfully rushes out while thanking him [<- for the interview; seems to be a polite greeting thing, just like what Ayane did earlier].
Next, it is Sawako whom Pin asks if she properly thought of the homework. She says yes. He asks if it isn’t ‘be a bride’. This shocks Sawako that she nervously tells him that there are others like soba. Pin comments that after ramen, it is soba. She says that she likes drawing but from the trial of drawing Pin, Pin tells her to give it up for she has no talent. Looking at her form wherein she has written ‘going to office/work’, Pin asks her if she seriously think of this. Sawako goes huh that Pin realizes that she didn’t. He asks if she didn’t think of what she wants to do in the future so what was she thinking during the past. She thinks that she is always thinking of the present. He asks if she doesn’t have any other options since she wrote ‘going to office’ in all three choices of the form. Did she think about being not suitable for this and that, and there is some sort of boring reason that she didn’t think of other options? He tells her that her ability is high compared to what she thought and she also possesses a better advantage that others don’t have. Sawako doesn’t know what he is referring to so Pin tells her that no matter what she does, she strives hard and does her best, and isn’t that amazing. After Sawako goes out of the interview room, she starts thinking of what Pin said and recalls Shouta telling her that teaching suits her. Soon, Shouta greets her and they are walking home together. He asks her about the interview. Sawako says that it seems that she didn’t think[/analyze] of it that much. He asks about that homework Pin gave her but Sawako is embarrassed to tell him. She asks him what he wants to do when he was young. He tells her that he wanted to be a professional baseball athlete but then, that was when he was young. Sawako thinks that everyone has different thoughts on it. He asks her what she wrote. She says working [/going to office] at this locality. Shouta asks why, isn’t she going to continue studying in college. She says that it costs money so she thinks that it is better to find work near her home. He comments that is indeed her style and he always thought that she would leave this place and go to some good college. Realizing that she didn’t ask about his, Sawako asks what did he write. Shouta says that he is going to stay in this place and inherit the family business[/property]. Shouta comments that he thought they would definitely separate. Sawako thinks that inheriting the family business and working at this locality, together with Shouta, she doesn’t have this kind of option, and it is only now that she noticed[/consider] it. [<- I translated that literally and I don’t quite get what she is exactly thinking = if it is in a good or bad way. ^^;]
Comment: Kent and Ayane are really quite lovey-dovey in this chapter. And amusingly, they knew each other for the shortest time compared to the other two couples. I guess they represent the more ‘mature’ type in a way though Kent can still be a bit childish and their progress is a bit faster. In Ayane’s case, it is indeed better for her to have a boyfriend who loves her more and isn’t shy about expressing his feelings. They even beat the other two couples in sharing lunch and having lunch together. ^^; I wonder if Ayane would still change her choice of school or not later on. Her past reminds me of the past of Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun’s Asako. They have the same kind of trauma but unlike Asako, Ayane is no pushover when it comes to those ‘bullying’ girls. Strange though that of the main cast, Ryu’s interview isn’t shown. Maybe, his career aspiration is the ‘surprising’ one. Chizuru’s is a bit funny since she is unconsciously thinking of Ryu’s ramen store. No wonder Shouta is enduring his father’s ‘slave-driving’, it is because he wants to inherit it. As for Sawako, I guess she is still undecided after that talk with Pin and Shouta. Scans by 工作室.

Quote of the day:
I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go. ~ Langston Hughes