Chapter 23 is the 23rd chapter of Kodocha, the third chapter of the fifth book in the Tankōbon Release, and the fourth chapter of the third book in the Kanzenban and Bunkoban releases.
Summary[]
Akito struggles with having Sana be far away. Meanwhile Sana arrives on location and begins filming alongside fellow actors Asako Kurumi, and Naozumi. The tabloids see filming as an opportunity to ramp up rumors that Sana and Naozumi are dating.
Plot[]
At Jinbou Junior High, Fuka, Tsuyoshi and co discuss Sana leaving to film on location while Akito listens to music with headphones and thinks on telling Sana goodbye. That night, Akito has a nightmare about all of the bad things in his life (his mom dying, being faulted for her death, etc), but the dream transitions to Sana encouraging him to be more positive, Akito reaches out to her, and wakes up physically holding out his hand. He goes for a morning run as part of his karate training.
Sana and everyone arrive at the set in the mountains of Tohoku, and Sana is so impressed by the construction of the mansion they'll use for the movie. The movie's director Mikio Ono reminds them that the final scene of the movie will see them burning the whole set down. The cast is enthusiastic, and some reporters begin to ask Naozumi questions about the movie. Rei is envious at the attention Naozumi is getting, and thinks about how this movie is a good opportunity for Sana to be taken more seriously as an actress, meanwhile Sana is busy admiring the area and goofing off. She changes her tune though when Director Ono tells her that he's seen her act in the Komawari Theater many times, and insists she's the only actor her age who can play the character of Mako in the movie. Sana agrees to try her best, and filming begins. Naozumi is wandering in the woods, and Sana creepily greets him. Likely due to Rei's hyping Sana up, Naozumi gets so intimidated by Sana's acting that he freezes up and forgets his line (which Rei revels in).
They film for the rest of the day, and at night have fun and hang out. Sana teases Naozumi over being sensitive to spicy or minty foods (after a super mint gum she gives him makes him cry), and they have a arm wrestling contest that Naozumi only manages to win after telling her he knows about the moles on her butt (a fact he knows from seeing a photo of her as a baby at the Kamura Academy). She brings him aside to find out why he knows, and three Naozumi fans watch them from the shadow, talking to each other about how much they hate Sana. Meanwhile, paparazzi get some photos of Sana and Naozumi hanging out and intend to release it under the guise they're dating.
Back in Tokyo, Fuka gets a long distance call from a friend back home in Osaka, telling her they'll be in the area soon. At school the next day, she asks if Akito is willing to pretend to be her boyfriend, and the chapter ends.
Characters[]
Author's Notes[]
Akito's Character Profile:
Akito Hayama
Birthday: October 12th
Sign: Libra
Blood type B
"Akito lives with his father, Fuyuki, and his sister, Natsumi. His mother, who died, was named Koharu. Akito's as popular as Sana now! I was gonna make him a really bad guy before the series started, Like have him carry a real gun or get involved in serious problems with adults. But that'd be too much for Sana - I mean, me - so I didn't. I turned the gun into a squirt gun! And it even went with the original title, "Child's Toy." Hee-hee! I'm not gonna turn him into too much of a nice guy, though. Hee-hee."
Tsuyoshi's Character Profile:
Tsuyoshi Sasaki (used to be Ohki until his parent's divorce in book 3)
Birthday: July 18th
Sign: Cancer Blood type: A
"He's a very caring and reliable guy, especially for a comic book character. (Rei's becoming more like him.) Originally, I was going to make him psychic - when he got mad, windows would break, (He-hee). I thought it'd be fun to have a psychic in school! But I decided not to because I wanted Kodocha to be more realistic in style."
Aya's Character Profile:
Aya Sugita
Birthday: February 10th
Sign: Aquarius
Blood type: O
"Tsuyoshi's girlfriend. Aya knows what she's doing - Tsuyoshi is already really nice, and when he's older, he'll be a pretty cool guy. (Maybe!)"
Trivia[]
- This chapter was adapted into I’m Seriously, Seriously, For Real, Serious.