Issue 76, published in Volume 8, is the 76th chapter of the manga. The tagline for this chapter reads: 'To bite the forbidden fruit?'
Page Titles[]
- Mixer... (Again)
- Because Of That Reason
- Terrifying Love Rivals
- Give In!
- A Taciturn Character
- The Mixer And Us
- The Middle Schooler, The Young Mayu
- A Person You Know Next To You
- Fun Seat-Switching
- He Comes Hungrily...!
- Judo Obsessed
- The Task From His Brother
Summary[]
After school, Mikoshiba's friends invite him to a mixer which will be occurring in the same week. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Mikoshiba decides to come so that it doesn't seem like he is 'running away'. When he informs his friends of his intention to bring someone, they tell him not to bring Kashima (since she will distract all the girls). This causes Mikoshiba to fly into a panic and screams "Who am I supposed to talk to?!" Exasperated, his friends tell him to talk to the girls.
At Nozaki's apartment, Mikoshiba tells Nozaki what happened. Nozaki admits that he is slightly interested in attending the mixer - 'for data'. Hearing this, Sakura drops her beta tools in panic and confronts Mikoshiba, trying to prevent him from bringing Nozaki. Mikoshiba thinks that she is scared Nozaki will get a girlfriend at the mixer, therefore, he attempts to reassure her by saying - "He's not going to be talking to the girls, he's going to be talking to me!" Yet Sakura takes this the wrong way, assuming that Mikoshiba is looking to show off his relationship with Nozaki.
Infuriated, Sakura asks Mikoshiba what he thinks will happen if Nozaki comes to the mixer. She becomes entangled in a hypothetical situation, in which Nozaki introduces himself at the mixer. Mikoshiba watches this unfold in exasperation. In Sakura's imagination, two girls immediately fall in love with Nozaki ("He's so tall... so cool..."). When he tells them that he works as a manga artist, they exclaim "A working man is so dreamy!" The girls begin to confess their various talents for beta, screentones and backgrounds in an attempt to win Nozaki's heart. Mikoshiba suggests that this situation is starting to resemble an 'otaku meeting'.
Sakura aggressively points at Mayu, who is asleep in the corner. She tells Mikoshiba to bring him instead since Nozaki is 'no good'. Mikoshiba exclaims that he didn't even notice Mayu was there. Turning his charm on, he approaches Mayu and asks him if he would like to 'go out for a meal with Mikoshiba nii-san'. Mikoshiba goes on to make mundane demands such as: "Respond to me when I talk to you." "Help me if you can see that I need help." and "When going to the toilet, take me with you." Mayu sits up straight and refuses, which causes Mikoshiba to wonder why he was rejected in such a serious tone.
Hearing of Mikoshiba's intention to bring Mayu, Nozaki tells him that he doesn't mind as long as Mayu tells him what happens afterwards. Nozaki reminisces about a 'taciturn' (quiet) character in a shoujo manga who was noticed by the heroine at a mixer. On her way back from the mixer, she was saved from being harassed by a delinquent by the same boy she noticed. The boy says "Sorry, but she's mine" along with a string of other gallant words while protecting the girl. Mikoshiba points out that he talks too much to be a quiet character.
Nozaki sits Mayu down to give him advice. He tells him to emulate the quiet character's actions at the mixer - standing in front of a girl and saying "She's mine". Mikoshiba looks over and wonders why a guy with such cheesy ideas is drawing shoujo manga. Suddenly, Nozaki asks Mikoshiba what his goals are, to which Mikoshiba replies that it is 'getting through and running away safely'. Nozaki's goal is to ask Mikoshiba and Mayu about the mixer. Sakura's 'goal' is to go to sleep early and wake up early. Catching themselves in an awkward position, Nozaki, Sakura and Mikoshiba ask themselves why they draw shoujo manga.
On the day of the mixer, Mikoshiba introduces his friends to his underclassman, Mayu. They welcome him and tell him that he is handsome. Apparently, Mikoshiba has told everyone that Mayu is a first-year from a different school, which he doesn't have any problems with. A freshman girl suddenly approaches them and asks Mayu how old he is now. Lost for words, Mayu stands there for a while to the confusion of the girl. Mikoshiba silently barracks for him over to the side. However, what Mayu finally says is: "I'm younger and a lot fresher than you."
Mikoshiba confidently sits at the group table, relieved that someone he knows is sitting next to him. He tells Mayu to watch over him as promised, and Mayu nonchalantly agrees. Two girls on the opposite side of the table start to flirt with Mikoshiba. His initial reaction is to play along with it and flirts back, however, he is soon reduced to a self-conscious mess. Mikoshiba begs Mayu not to look at him. Remembering his previous instruction of 'respond to me when I talk to you', Mayu asks him what he wants.
Mikoshiba's friends become jealous when they notice that the girls are all crowding around Mayu. They decide to offer him a seat next to them so that the girls will follow. Mayu relents, however, Mikoshiba refuses to leave his side. Therefore, no matter how many times the boys switch seats, they only succeed in making Mikoshiba follow them around. The seats they offer get gradually smaller but Mikoshiba manages to squeeze in next to Mayu every time. To Mikoshiba's friends, it becomes a competition to see whether the two of them can fit into small gaps together.
Another girl approaches Mikoshiba and Mayu, asking them whether they secretly have girlfriends (since they are not eagerly participating). Mikoshiba is unsure of how to respond. The girl giggles, taking this as a yes, and reveals that she is dating someone as well. She describes him as 'not very cool' but 'a physical fitness nut who is strong at judo'. This grabs Mayu's attention and he asks the girl for her boyfriend's full name, weight class and phone number in an intimidating manner. This causes the girl to assume that Mayu is interested in her boyfriend ("This guy's a carnivore!")
Mayu tells Mikoshiba that he was just looking for some training from Takkun (the girl's boyfriend) in case they were at the same rank. Mikoshiba tells him not to do misleading things. From the opposite table, a girl asks Mayu if he likes judo since Hayashi, a boy she is flirting with, claims that he is pretty strong. Hayashi denies this, embarrassed. Mikoshiba's friends decide to leave the mixer since they haven't been able to get any numbers and lament the fact that Mayu and Mikoshiba must be a hit with the girls. However, they walk in to see Mayu harassing an intimidated Hayashi for his number (since Hayashi mentioned he was good at judo).
As they are about to leave, Mayu is pleased with himself, having collected several boys' numbers for judo training. Mikoshiba decides against pointing out how everyone would have thought Mayu was interested in guys, since Mayu looks happy enough. Out of nowhere, the two girls who were flirting with Mikoshiba appear and latch onto him, inviting him out afterwards. Mikoshiba tries to decline, but only manages to stutter out a few words. Yet in that moment, Mayu remembers the advice that his older brother gave him and slides in front of Mikoshiba. To a crowd of unassuming people, he says the 'magic words': "He is mine."
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
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