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Feel free to read ahead if it’s exciting! But please refrain from spoiling ahead of the appropriate week
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And finished the section. There is just so much going on! I’m not sure I got everything out of the conversation with Abazure-san, Nanoka kind of went off on a tangent near the end of it that I didn’t quite get, plus Abazure-san was speaking in pseudo-metaphor for half of it too. But wow, emotionally raw stuff throughout huh?
I definitely got the impression that that was Abazure-san’s circumstances, but hearing her description made it a lot clearer. I basically felt gut punched when she answered the door and 小さな友達を抱えた、女の子だった.
At this point I don’t think these characters are literally Nanoka through different stages of her life, but are mirrors of what she could become. I wonder if we’ll get a gut wrenching reveal from Obaachan at some point
Yes that was a very emotional read, I don’t think I grabbed all the nuances when Abazure san told Nanoka about her dream so will re-read it tonight and go through it again. But what a chapter
I finally caught up this week, after not being able to read for a few weeks, and I had to read almost 1/3 of the book, lol!
Regarding 桐生くん last week, I think maybe he didn’t want to involve her because he knew that she’d get targeted if she did. It’s quite common for someone to get bullied for standing up for a victim.
As for this week’s chapter, I had to stop reading several times because it hit me really hard. I was that girl, being bullied and rejecting the world because I couldn’t trust anyone. When I changed schools I didn’t make friends for a long time because I thought I could just be on my own forever. Luckily, near the end of that year I met a girl who was in the same boat and we became friends.
Man, what a great chapter. I missed the final line (like every week, really) and went through the whole chapter at once, so I can’t talk about why yet I enjoyed the book so far, but this chapter made me really love it, it’s so emotional in such a relatable way.
Can one of you help me? What’s the first thing Nanoka says when she gets to Abazure-san? Both the mumbled bit and the line after… I can’t understand the audiobook. The part after that was tricky, but manageable… The yelling + crying combo kills me
Wow. As if ignoring Nanoka wasn’t bad enough. That’s… disappointing.
And Nanoka really didn’t need him to ignore her too, after all she’s going through at the moment
今朝、また同じ夢を見てた
Eeeeh? Please don’t vanish
…actually. I’m writing these thoughts now halfway through Abazure-san’s story, and… I’m starting to really, really take to the theory that her friends (well, except the cat, maybe) are different versions of future Nanoka trying to get her not to turn into them. Not quite sure how to fit the Grandma into it, but Minami-san and Abazure-san both fit:
Minami-san got into an argument with her parents, and they both died while on a business trip during the parent’s day in school. She urges Nanoka to reconcile with her parents, which she does, and the parents (or just the mother, I don’t remember…) stay home and go the the parent’s day. I might be remembering this wrong, but didn’t Minami-san vanish right afterwards? As if there’s no need for her to be here anymore? And I don’t quite remember that part either, but I think she said the “I saw the same dream again” pretty much towards the end… was it right before she urged Nanoka to reconcile too, just like with Abazure-san now?
Abazure-san grew up thinking herself special and everyone around her being stupid, being hated and thinking she is hating them too. Which is exactly what is happening to Nanoka right now. And she just said the “I saw the same dream again” thing too!
I was joking earlier with the “don’t vanish”, but I feel like that might actually happen once Nanoka’s situation improves. Although in this case “not being hated by the class” is a probably a bit more of a longer process than “reconciling with your parents”.
Also, not quite sure how the Grandma fits into it yet, since we actually barely know anything about her. Apart from her liking books too, the most interesting parallel to Nanoka is that she also has a painter friend.
I will feel a bit foolish when it eventually turns out to be nothing of that sort, but I feel like there’s a pretty big amount of parallels between Minami-san’s and Abazure-san’s behaviour, and Minami-san/Nanoka and Abazure-san/Nanoka. I’d almost be more surprised if all that turned out to be nothing.
But I guess maybe the story is just “Nanoka completely coincidentally meets people who have lived through similar moments and impart extremely fitting advice to her” after all, who knows. With a mysteriously vanishing friend, and two friends having “the same dream again”.
うん、その子の口癖は…………って……あれ？
“Life is…”?
「私の…………子どもの頃の口癖、人生とは、だ」
…
「舐めることを学ばなきゃ……」
“You have to learn how to lick it” (ice cream) / “You have to learn how to take it lightly.” (life), maybe?
Yeah I have to admit the second half of the chapter had me questioning some of my previous assumptions. I still feel it would be kind of unsatisfying if that was the case but at least there’s more groundwork
Hmm… Not sure, maybe how often she rings the bell? Though would that mean she continued to ring the bell after Abazure-san opened the door…?
I really like it! And it’s good listening practice (the grandma and emotional scenes like this week are hard ). I first thought I would find the background music distracting, but I actually don’t mind it.
more theories
There are also little hints, not sure if I remember all of them. But things like, Minami wanted to be an author and Nanoka mentioning that she wants to be an author growing up. Abazure-san and Nanoka both liking and knowing the same old song.
It would be really sad if the all vanish though… Nanokas only friend would be the little cat (And Kiryu, once he is feeling better, and doesn’t go to america or wherever grandmas friend was again).
The Ogiwara-kun “betrayal” didn’t surprise me but to think he was the gossip behind everything?! smh XD
I definitely related to Abazure as well. Having gone to a nerdy high school and being a bit of a goody-two-shoes, I’ve definitely looked down on dorm mates subconsciously when faced with “typical college student behavior” for the first time when studying abroad. This made it much harder for me to get situated at a new school and I spent much of my first semester away from dorm mates, which attracted the attention of some bullies, though it thankfully never amounted to much since I was too oblivious to realize it until much later so it wasn’t fun enough for them to continue(?) I’ve been so lucky to have been picked up by friends that helped me grow out of that but I shudder thinking of how different my college life (and beyond) could have been without that helping hand.
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I enjoyed the book so far, but this chapter made me really love it, it’s so emotional in such a relatable way.
I’ve been so lucky to have been picked up by friends that helped me grow out of that but I shudder thinking of how different my college life (and beyond) could have been without that helping hand.