Chapter 33 is the 33rd chapter of Kodocha, the third chapter of the seventh book in the Tankōbon Release, and the fourth chapter of the fifth book in the Kanzenban and Bunkoban releases.
Summary[]
Akito seems to be reverting to how he acted before he met Sana. At an arcade with friends, he brutally beats up some older arcade goers, which disturbs Fuka. Sana bumps into Akito and is distraught by the look in his eyes.
Plot[]
|Akito proceeds to run all night every night in an attempt to clear his mind. Tsuyoshi tells Fuka and Aya this, having learned it from Akito's dad. Fuka hasn't heard or seen Akito. Later that day, Akito is meant to have a karate exam, but is unallowed to participate since they learned of his suspension. He meets his friends outside, and they decide to do something fun in hopes it'll put Akito (who is furious) in a better mood.
They head to an arcade, play a few games, and then need to get change for a paper bill before they can play more. Fuka goes to the change machines, and finds 200 yen still in the machine. She's going to turn the discarded coins to the store clerk, but on the way, two guys ask her about it claiming its there. She happily gives it back to them, but they insist she was going to steal it (even after she explains that she was about to give it to the store clerk). Fuka bickers with them, and Akito comes to see what the commotion is about. Akito doesn't understand why they'd be so worked up over pocket change, and one of the guys pushes him. Tsuyoshi tries to cool Akito down, but Akito snaps and starts fighting the two. At first, Tsuyoshi, Aya, and Fuka are so stunned at how strong Akito is to do anything, but things take a turn when the guys start apologizing, all while Akito continues to attack them. Fuka yells for him to stop, but he doesn't. They're about to get caught when Tsuyoshi urges them to run, they have to pull Akito off them.
Fuka slaps Akito, and tells him he went too far. He looks at Fuka with an expression that terrifies her, and tells her not to tell him what to do, and walks off. Fuka, stunned, asks Tsuyoshi why he and Aya aren't freaking out over how he's acting, and Tsuyoshi explains that that's how he always used to be. In an inner monologue, Tsuyoshi thinks about how he never thought about the implications of Fuka not knowing Akito during everything that went on during elementary school.
At school the next day, Aya warns Tsuyoshi that Mr. Sengoku pulled her aside and tried to get information out of her about how Akito acted during elementary school. This worries Tsuyoshi. On the way home though, the two see that somethings being filmed, and light up when they realize Sana is present. They call to Sana in a crowd of fans, and she notices them but is unable to do anything about it, so Rei brings them to Sana's trailer.
The trio feel the time that's passed since they last hung out, and are initially in good spirits. Tsuyoshi goes on to explain how they're worried about Akito, and the tone immediately changes. They tell her about Akito getting suspended, how he's not getting along with Fuka, and how he's not telling Tsuyoshi anything either. Tsuyoshi and Aya leave, and Sana thinks about how she assumed that if she got out of Fuka and Akito's way, they'd be able to be happy -- that she and Akito would both forget eachother. She cries realizing how much she wants to see Akito, and how she'll never forget him.
Later that night, Akito tries to fall asleep, but is again unable, so goes for a jog. Sana is discussing returning to school with Rei while in the car, when she sees someone who looks like Akito out of the corner of her eyes. She initially assumes it can't be him, but makes Rei stop the car on the chance it is. She chases after him, having to pull up the hood of her coat to avoid getting mobbed by fans. Akito stops on some stairs to rest, and Sana approaches him. The two lock eyes, and Akito makes some mean remarks about her fame. Sana drops to her knees, and starts crying, asking why he has that look in his eyes. She hugs him, and the look in his eyes softens, and he hugs back. Sana tells him she knows about his suspension, and how Tsuyoshi is really worried. He says he's like this because of her, again calling her by her first name (which again makes her angry). They start fighting, but continue to hug all the while.
Sana gets a phone call from Rei, and Sana is hesitant to leave until Akito assures her he's okay, and that she shouldn't worry. He runs off, and Sana thinks about how she can't stop herself from worrying about him.
Characters[]
- Sana Kurata
- Akito Hayama
- Fuka Matsui
- Tsuyoshi Sasaki
- Aya Sugita
- Rei Sagami
- Fuyuki Hayama (mentioned)
- Sengoku (mentioned)
Author's Notes[]
About writing the stories...: "I really had a lot of trouble with volume 8. You probably won't even notice when you read it, but the stories at the beginning of the book gave me a really hard time. At one point, I almost threw them all out and started over! But even when I'm having trouble, no matter how much I'm stressing out and want to do everything over - I usually end up doing it just like I planned in the first place! I'm also starting to think that Kodocha is getting too complicated. (hee hee) But then again, if the stories aren't too complicated and have a lot going on, that means I'm just taking it easy! When things are resolved, maybe I'll take it easy for a bit on the writing... You think I can? Hmph. Sure I will. We'll see..."
Fan Comics: "Recently, I saw a bunch of fan comics for the first time. Some of them are pretty interesting! Someone gave me their Kodocha fan comics, and I thought, "What on earth is this?" But when I looked through it I realized the person did it because they really loved Kodocha. It made me feel good, actually! A lot of the fan comics are impressive - some of the artists do a really good job drawing the characters. In fact, some are so good, maybe I'll ask them to come and work for me!! (heh heh) By the way, if any of you have made Kodocha fan drawings or comics, please send me a copy! I'd love to see them! I'll tell you a secret about drawing. My favorite thing to draw is... buildings! I don't like drawing people nearly as much - it's too hard! But I usually run out of time when I'm working, so I have to let my assistants do the backgrounds. So all I ever get to draw is...people! Pretty sad, huh?"
Trivia[]
- This chapter was never adapted in the anime, but a fight in an arcade happens in There Were Lines That Just Couldn’t Be Said that pulls many elements from the fight in this chapter (but the anime also brings a lot of it's own new stuff to the table). The episode "Fighting, Separation, How Will It End?" adapts the scene of Akito and Sana bumping into each other from this chapter, although in a different location, and in different circumstances.