Issue 8, published in Volume 1, is the eighth chapter of the manga. The tagline for this chapter reads: 'High school boys are idiots.'
Page Titles
- Unlucky
- Results of Study
- That Kid's Favorite
- His Beliefs
- Foul
- Empathy
- Sample
- Friend A ①
- Friend A ②
- Those Guys' Youth For 3 Years
- Remedial Action
- Late Night Tension
Summary
Sakura, Nozaki and Mikoshiba are working on 'Let's Love' at Nozaki's apartment. Mikoshiba asks permission to stay over for the night, and Nozaki accepts. Mikoshiba goes on to say that he actually wanted to ask some questions about women. As it turns out, Mikoshiba is talking about the women in his otome game. Flustered, he yells at Nozaki - "Which one should I go home with?!" (Asuka or Sayuri). Nozaki replies with Asuka, because she 'seems angry' in the game.
The chapter then skips to Mikoshiba's dramatic narration of his own gaming history. Mikoshiba started playing bishoujo games three years ago due to 'not being able to speak with real girls very well'; therefore he decided to study them instead. Playing games, especially dating simulators, was his way of learning about girls' emotions. Proudly, Mikoshiba boasts that he eventually moved on from 2D (game characters) to 3D girls (bishoujo figurines). Nozaki points out that this may be veering even further from reality.
Mikoshiba begs Nozaki to try the game. Nozaki hesitates, deeming it troublesome. However, he finally relents. Faced with the instruction 'Please enter the hero's name', Nozaki types in 'Suzuki Saburou'. This surprises Mikoshiba, who assumes that he must be really fond of Suzuki (Suzuki is the name of the protagonist in Nozaki's manga, 'Let's Fall in Love'). Yet when asked to choose a nickname, Nozaki types in 'Suzuki (LOL)' which makes Mikoshiba wonder whether he is just trying to make fun of his own character.
The first route Nozaki is faced with features a schoolgirl who says "Nice to meet you! Please take care of me." From the two options 'You're cute!' and 'Withdraw', Nozaki chooses the latter. He continues to follow negative routes throughout the game, causing Mikoshiba to become increasingly confused before finally bursting out - "What are you doing, Nozaki!!!" Nozaki argues that Suzuki would never get involved with another girl because he already has Mamiko. Mikoshiba urges him to change the playable character's name so that he can attempt it properly.
Mikoshiba presents Nozaki with a pamphlet displaying the game's various female characters. He tells him to pick one girl and focus on winning her over. Nozaki chooses 'Kaori', the 'kind classmate'. Noticing the character's similarity to Sakura, Mikoshiba wonders whether this may have influenced Nozaki's decision. However, Nozaki cuts in, claiming that Kaori's route has the best scenario. Mikoshiba yells at him to stop reading spoilers on the internet.
In the first scenario, Kaori asks - 'What's the matter? If something happened, you can tell me.' The three options are 'Put up with it', 'Complain' and 'Smile'. Nozaki confidently assumes that having his character complain would make the heroine's heart flutter at being shown a sensitive side. However, choosing 'Complain' leads to the result - 'Nozaki-kun is quite a small-minded person, it can't be helped, right...?' Nozaki is distraught at not being able to understand the girl's emotions. Mikoshiba advises him to stay away from garuge (Japanese slang for games surrounding pretty girls) for the moment.
Mikoshiba claims that girls are usually disappointed at being shown the weaker side of a man. He offers Nozaki his phone, daring him to ask Sakura. Despite being reluctant, he is forced into a call by Mikoshiba. Sakura picks up the phone nervously, stuttering out Nozaki's name. Nozaki apologises for calling so late, confiding to her - "I no longer have confidence in my own thoughts..." Realising Nozaki's weakness only serves to make Sakura's heart skip a beat. Therefore, Mikoshiba's theory is disproved.
Nozaki is introduced to another feature of the game. Playable characters have the ability to ask one of their friends for help or information. Nozaki is wary, uncertain about trusting someone he has just met. He cites a common trope found in shoujo manga where a vulnerable girl is approached by another girl in pursuit of 'friendship' but is secretly bullied behind the scenes. To emphatically conclude this evidence, Nozaki has the bully say - 'Actually, from the first time we met, I really hated you!' Mikoshiba accuses him of going off-topic.
Mikoshiba tells Nozaki to relax and use the help of his friend, Tomoda. Tomoda continually provides genuine assistance such as data collection, informing the main character of his 'likeability' and buying the pair movie tickets. Perplexed, Nozaki attempts to analyse why Tomoda would go so far as to be a nice person. Mikoshiba brushes off his questions, however, Nozaki has already reached a conclusion - that Tomoda must have a crush on the main character. Exasperated, Mikoshiba says that not everything has to point towards love.
Having gained a trustworthy position, Nozaki continues to use Tomoda's help - almost excessively, as Mikoshiba points out. At school, Tomoda takes note when the hero and his love interest arrive together. At the field trip, he offers to help him sneak out, and at the climax of the game, he encourages the main character not to give up. During graduation, Tomoda says - 'Three years somehow went by fast. I'm glad to have met you.' This causes Nozaki and Mikoshiba to explode in a grateful outburst.
After finishing the game, Nozaki and Mikoshiba reflect on Tomoda's selflessness, having wasted his high school years for the main character's sake. Overcome with emotion, Nozaki decides to incorporate Tomoda into his manga. While trying to decide on his love interest, Mikoshiba and Nozaki realise that the only person Tomoda had shown any affection towards had been the main character.
The next morning, Sakura shows up at Nozaki's apartment to find Nozaki and Mikoshiba sprawled out on the floor, exhausted. Confused, she asks what had happened, to which Nozaki replies - "The whole night..." At this, Sakura wonders what they did the whole night. She discovers a stack of manga pages on the table, telling a story of the main character confessing his love to Tomoda. This only serves to make Sakura even more confused - "Really, what happened?!"
Characters in Order of Appearance
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