Spoilers should always be hidden using spoiler blur.
When discussing a specific section, please mention where you are in the book, ideally by chapter so people reading different versions have a clear point of reference.
Feel free to read ahead if it’s exciting, but please refrain from spoiling ahead of the appropriate week.
If you have a question about grammar, vocab, cultural things, etc - ask! That’s a welcome part of the discussion too, and other readers will be happy to help.
I was screeching through the first half of the chapter so hard my bf came over to check if maybe I’m being murdered by our cat lmao
Really, “consent”? “People that do it as their job”? Masamichi just kept putting his foot in lol
Also, “not the fingers 'cos it’s a waste now that you’ve made them the way you like them”? Babyyy, baby no. Don’t be like that.
There is a lot of empathy Masamichi is applying to Shino’s inhumanity. It’s somehow sad than when people do it IRL it’s “ignoring the red flags” but in our books is what creates a relationship
I have to say, I’m really impressed by Masamichi’s ability to remain level-headed and to rationally try to explain his feelings to Shino. And to even attempt the sleeping together strategy after all that. He really is a mature character.
While a big part of me agrees that it’s perhaps.. too much ignoring the red flags, it is a work of fiction and Shino is a non-human character. He is also a character who has mostly lived in the past - I assume the people he interacted back then had a different view of intimate relationships (consent and woman rights were unfortunately not big a couple of centuries back).
I also wonder if there are just cultural aspects involved. I feel like in Japanese (non-western?) media, things like red-flags or consent in relationship are a bit more blurred, which is a criticism I see quite often for (especially older) shoujo/BL and romance genres.
I ended up finishing the book last week, and I didn’t make a note of where in the chapter week 10 ended, so I can just comment about the whole thing now!
Weeks 10-11
This was my favorite chapter of the book! It started off a bit sus with the “please don’t rape me” bit, but in universe it was kinda reasonable. I did like how they ended up in bed together, and could see how over the course of a few books this could turn into an actual relationship. I can’t imagine them getting together in the first book of the series, but I am a bit curious about the old series. Anyway, curiosity for Later.
But as much as I enjoyed that part, I loved the evil sweater attacks host guy story! This is what I was hoping most of the book would be, tbh, and finally got me invested enough to for sure read more of this series. I loved the back and forth with Shino and the host guy, I loved how he came with his “best offer” and Shino was like “well yeah, if you want a 6万円 (or whatever it was) solution” and it was all *chef’s kiss*
But now that I think of it, didn’t this all start with Masamichi having a headache? I can very much empathize having to have important conversations with a splitting headache
Really like how we actually had a ‘case’ with a client in this chapter and how the interaction went overall. It was really interesting to read.
I was also positively surprised that Shino is paying for Masamichi to go to a cram school and study for his exams again! It really feels like a big gesture for me (as someone who values education), and I admire Shino more after this.
Yeah, it does seem like a solid foundation for a slow burn romance. I also notice Masamichi is curious about several aspects of Shino’s life, so I can see him gradually falling in love as well.
Yes!!!
I adore how he’s doing something big like this (and it sounded like a good place too) and then gets all uncomfortable at the praise like this is the bare minimum.
I think Shino fixed it by closing the third eye or whatever, but as a girl with migraines the fact that the pain stopped five seconds ago doesn’t mean anything!!!
Still can’t believe that Shino’s reaction to Masamichi’s “I’m dying help me” was “ugh, you waste my food so stupidly… Actually I’m hungry, let’s get on with it”. Come onnnn (lol)
Especially considering Masamichi asked him how to close it and Shino said that it’ll stop by itself when he stops concentrating. It’s all Shino’s fault!
Like how are you going to make this poor boy have a whole philosophical conversation about why you can’t just have your way with him, his head is killing him
The epilogue felt like a short cute little extra, I enjoyed it. I like how Masamichi is learning to read Shino’s behaviour more and more, the characters really feel like they have their own personality and traits and we are getting closer to them.
Overall, I found it a really cosy read which flowed well for me. I don’t know if I’ll eventually read any further volumes (at least not for now), but it was definitely worth the read.
I definitely skimmed quite a bit of the cup mending parts to get through the chapter
Overall I thought this was a nice ending to the book. Wasn’t the rollercoaster ride of the previous chapter, but it did set the tone for where I hope their story goes in the next book. I’ll probably be back for more volumes in the series, but I want to give my reading a bit of time to improve first. Not me after the JLPT wondering if I even speak the language anymore …
Thank you, as always, to @eefara for hosting. I really enjoyed this read and was glad I let you (and a Bookwalker sale) suck me in
I’m pretty surprised how easily 正路 can “interpret” the terms and conditions of his bargain with しの. しの somehow locked himself into feeding, housing, and caring for 正路, and the latter’s not even beholden to a loose definition of 食らう.
Anyway, I also liked 正路’s thought processes from “犯すな ” to “wow, I really want to get to know him more” in this section; I thought it flowed pretty naturally, and is a good testament to 正路’s character.
I’m personally not as bothered by sections like this too many formative years reading questionable content, perhaps, especially as it’s fiction. Shino also points out that it’s at least normal for him to consider sex = food, so there’s at least some in-universe justification about it. And to be honest he didn’t even feel that overly pushy about the whole thing to me; felt like he pretty much dropped it once 正路’s heart didn’t explode after head-butting him.
This is about 9 pages into the reading (p 214 in my physical copy). 高橋 is describing the hand-made sweater he brought in and how it keeps returning to him no matter how he disposes of it.
Will it help if I tell you he’s a host in host club?
Vocab answers if not
So his 成績 is like his spot in the host’s sales (who sells the most, gets to be number one and all that)
ガンガン is like one after another, vigorously
ボトル入れて is literally ordering bottles. Maybeeee it means like adding to a tab or smth, in host clubs (according to doramas I saw as a teen) they order drinks by bottles like “don periñon!” or whatever.
So anyway, she was buying lots of alcohol to increase his sales (and his reputation) but now he’s saying she’s creepy because she embezzled that money.
Re: sweater (maybe look after you know where exactly the sweater is in his home)
I thought that’s because he tried throwing it away far away and what was it, putting in a bag and then that into a different bag and it still came back to his bed.
” to “wow, I really want to get to know him more” in this section; I thought it flowed pretty naturally, and is a good testament to 正路’s character.
