Last Game [Chapter 37]

Inside Kujou’s house, Yanagi sees the food on the table and says that it’s quite lavish. Kujou tells him that it is because she didn’t prepare a gift so she did it accordingly. Yanagi asks if this is okay that he’ll also eat [<- since it is her gift for her mother]. Kujou says that she thinks that her mother contacted him for that reason. [<- to eat the food]. Yanagi sits down as Kujou gets the plates. Yanagi thinks that it has been a long time since he came to her house. He is now at the house of the girl he likes, the two of them are alone, and the parent complied with it. It is a circumstance wherein everything is ready except for the crucial thing. While he agrees for Kujou to put his cake on the refrigerator first, Yanagi tells himself that if he talks too much and say don’t want to become friends, she’ll cry and avoid him again. For things to reach up to this point [today], he wonders what is he still doing, no, he mustn’t do anything. He decides to temporarily maintain the current situation for he is fine if they just return to how things originally are. Meanwhile, a bit nervous Kujou thinks that it has been a long time since he came to her house. Yanagi asks if he can open the television. She says yes. She thinks that he’s quite calm, and she is finally conscious of it, she likes Yanagi. Yanagi tries to find some TV program to change his thoughts.

After separating portions of the food, they happily greet Miwa a happy birthday even if she isn’t there. After eating a bit, Yanagi says that the food she makes is delicious and Miwa get to always eat such delicious food. Looking at him, Kujuou says that it has been a long time since she has seen his smile, she’s so happy and it seems that from a while ago, she is always feeling light as a feather. Yanagi notices that Kujou is staring at him that he asked her about it. Kujou says that she is just very happy while she’s together with him. Yanagi promptly chokes on his food that Kujou asks if he is okay. Yanagi is telling himself not to treat that as the truth, it is just as friends, if he becomes greedy at this time, he’ll step into that time’s disaster. [<- had become a traumatic experience] Yanagi asks if she’s drunk. She says no, she didn’t drink much. He says that it is because she seems to have this light-airy feeling. He thinks that normally, she would have her back very straight but right now, she is in some blank trance as if her feet isn’t stepping on the floor. It would appear that Kujou is specially... Then, to Kujou’s surprise, Yanagi punches himself and says that it is nothing, he is only bursting with energy. ^^;  Yanagi thinks that this is bad for being alone together with her would simply kill him so perhaps he should go home early. Sweatdropping Kujou asks if he wants more food. After saying okay, he holds his plate to her.

Then, he tells Kujou that there is a rice grain at the corner of her mouth. She wipes the left side of her mouth and says if it is gone. He laughs and says no, it is not that side but this side. He touches her face to remove the grain and they look at each other. Too bad the moment is interrupted with Miwa finally arriving home, apologizing for being late and greeting Yanagi. While Kujou becomes rigid over that, aghast Yanagi thinks that he has seen through this kind of progress. While thinking that Miwa did a good job about that life and death situation, Yanagi tells her that he’ll be going. This disappoints Miwa. Kujou has already snapped out of it when Yanagi says that he only temporarily liven things up and he doesn’t want to interrupt the mother-daughter reunion. He greets her a happy birthday and luckily he bought a cake. Miwa thanks him. Kujou tells her mother that she’ll walk him out. Going downstairs, Kujou calls out to Yanagi and thanks him for coming. Yanagi says that it is nothing and he ate her banquet. Thinking that this is a good opportunity to give the gift, Yanagi says that there are all sorts of unlucky timing so he wasn’t able to give this to her. He gives her a small gift box. She asks him what this is. He sheepishly says that didn’t he start working and how can he say it, he was also under her care [yoroshiku] so how about a thank you gift? He thinks that if it is not a birthday, and seems unnatural.., she really doesn’t like accepting gifts for no reason at all.

To his surprise, Kujou thanks him. Turning around, she says that she thinks that her mother will be very happy, she’ll give it to her and he should have directly given it to her. Shocked Yanagi shouts for her to wait, she’s wrong, he is giving that gift to her. Kujou asks why, for there is no reason for her to take other people’s things. Thinking that it’s annoying for she should just take it and that’s it, Yanagi says that it is because he wants to give it to her and could it be that this cannot be a reason. Kujou timidly says that she thinks that this is okay. Yanagi thinks that it’s quite strenuous giving a gift. Due to another trauma of being decisively rejected when he wanted to give her a cellphone before, Yanagi assures her that it is cheap so she can relax. She says okay, can she open it. He says okay. She thinks that it is around 500 yen. He thinks that it isn’t over 10,000 yen so it should be okay. Kujou takes out a beautiful cellphone strap. Since Yanagi doesn’t forget to make things safe in all areas [<- always making sure of things], he tensely says that she got that before, right, she can always accept cellphone straps. She asks if she can accept this. He says that didn’t he say, she can. Smiling smiles and thanks him, she’ll take/treasure it [for her collection; the word use is ‘collect’ in Chinese]. This made Yanagi smile and says, ya. And when Kujou returns home, her mother asks what it is, did something good happen. Kujou feels light, happy and warm, ticklish heart, ..like, I like Yanagi. Soon, Kujou serves her delighted mother the cheesecake along with the other food she made.

When her mother is happily sleeping, Kujou looks at her cellphone which now has Yanagi’s strap on it. She recalls that Tachibana also has this kind of feeling. Recalling someone saying that she must come out with the answer herself, she thinks that she found the answer. Later on, Tachibana is asking Kujou why she called her out when there is no club activity today. She grumbles about this can give one a headache. Kujou apologizes for suddenly calling her out and, is her okay? It seems that because of crying, Tachibana’s eyes were swollen shut the next day. Furious Tachibana exclaims that doesn’t she know just by looking, quickly go straight to the point for doesn’t she want to say something about Yanagi. Kujou thinks that she always pretend not to see and made herself fretful, uneasy and annoyed. Covering it because she wants to have that warm water-like space wherein she is beautifully together with everyone. But, she recalls people telling her that ‘in love, one can still have that water-like feeling’ and ‘getting hurt and being hurt’, it cannot be always be the same.’ Even if one gets hurt and in conflict with others, this feeling still won’t fade away, becoming selfish and willful again, like [/love] is surely this kind of thing. Looking flustered, she tells Tachibana, “I like Yanagi so *bows in apology* I have no way of cheering you on!”

Tachibana says that although Kujou is in such a passionate mood and it isn’t quite good to interrupt it but she is already rejected by Yanagi. This shocks Kujou. Tachibana says that for some time, she got jittery over Kujou’s dillydallying that in order to encourage herself, she went to confess. She complains that she should be the one rejecting guys who won’t be nice and acknowledge her. Confused Kujou tells her to slow down, she couldn’t catch up with her. Tachibana continues to say that Yanagi would unexpectedly reject her, [<- addressed herself as an ojousama], and she fears that the person in Yanagi’s heart is quite extraordinary. Thinking that although it is just a special hobby [/bad habit], Tachibana says that the truth is, that person is not at all Kujou. This made Kujou tense and aghast. Kujou is confused for Tachibana had confessed and then Yanagi rejected Tachibana. [<- couldn’t believe that Tachibana was rejected] Turning around, Tachibana tells Kujou but it is quite good if she put effort in doing a bit useless work. She sticks out her tongue and thinks don’t even hope that she’ll cheer her on. Kujou calls out to Tachibana to thank her for getting angry at her. Kujou is puzzled when Tachibana says that she really hates Kujou for if she dares to care for her or sympathize with her, she is going to viciously knock her down. Kujou frowns and says okay. Wiping her tears, Kujou recalls about having to hurt someone. Then, Tachibana tells her to quickly get that dialect[?] guy to give it up. The last scene is Souma.

Comment: Hehe, yes, Kujou confessed about liking Yanagi..to the wrong person ^^; Oh well, at least, it is no longer in thoughts. So that’s one love rival down, and one more to go. Things do seem to be progress though it is indeed possible to drag things out. You see, it turns out after what happened about the ‘let’s be friends forever’, Yanagi is badly traumatized and forced to keep things as it is or else, she’ll cry and avoid him. Obviously, he is easily traumatized that he even has to make sure she’ll accept his gift. In short, he has become unsure of himself because one wrong move and she’ll reject all of the other things he wanted to do for her = buy cellphone and probably other stuff. The worst case scenario is one major booboo can cause that..what ten years..of unrequited love become byebye. ^^; So, he won’t be doing anything for now. Even if Kujou is showing signs of love, he’ll probably tell himself that he is delusional and keep punching himself. ^^;;

Then, there is that last trick of Tachibana by hinting that it isn’t Kujou who is in Yanagi’s heart because after all, it has to be someone superior than Tachibana. Not sure if Kujou thinks that Tachibana is superior than her but at least, in terms of status and wealth, suitable for Yanagi. It seems that the mangaka is keeping Tachibana’s personality intact = there is no sudden change in her personality = leopard cannot change its spots. What Tachibana said might be just part of her pride and stuff or to make things a bit hard for Kujou but that can cause misunderstanding and Kujou would believe that she has an unrequited love with Yanagi. ^^; In short, it seems that they have switched roles. Yanagi wants things to be the same and Kujou having some unrequited love with him. We might be in a stalemate unless either one took the initiative to confess or at least for Kujou to know that Yanagi likes her all these years and/or for Yanagi to know that Kujou has realized that she likes him. Anyway, for now, it seems that Souma is going to be rejected in the next chapter. Scans by 红莲汉化组

Quote of the day:

Happiness doesn't result from what we get, but from what we give. ~ Ben Carson