Chapter 34 is the 34th chapter of Kodocha, the fourth chapter of the seventh book in the Tankōbon Release, and the fifth chapter of the fifth book in the Kanzenban and Bunkoban releases.
Summary[]
Sana can't stop thinking about Akito, so decides to go back to school. She and Fuka have a tense conversation about their friendship, and Akito.
Plot[]
Sana is getting her makeup done for an acting shoot, but can't stop thinking about how she's worried about Akito. Akito meanwhile arrives at school for the first time since his suspension, other classmates gossip about him as he walks by. Yunchi and another classmate ask Akito about the circumstances of his suspension, to which Akito is unable to answer do to almost falling over from lack of sleep (explaining to them how he's been running constantly, telling them the cause is boredom). Fuka eavesdrops on the boy's conversation, some friends ask if she'd like to go talk to him, but she declines. Instead, she thinks about how she'd like someone to talk to about how she feels disconnected from Akito, but doesn't have anyone who she can.
In class, Akito, Tsuyoshi, and everyone is given a survey about very basic things (how many people live in their house, who are their friends, what they hope to work in as adults, etc). Tsuyoshi tries to pep talk Akito while he fills it out, saying that he should talk to him if somethings bothering him, and encouraging him to mellow out. Akito's too busy filling out the survey to pay attention, when someone interrupts their conversation, and asks if he'd be able to put Akito down as a friend on his survey. Akito says no, since he should put down people he's actually friends with, and Akito doesn't even know his name.
Sana has a magazine interview and is still drifting off into thinking of Akito. Seemingly noticing somethings up, Rei says she doesn't have plans tomorrow, and encourages her to go to school, which she agrees to. The next day Sana admits to her mom (and herself) that she's going to school because she wants to see Akito.
Sana initially hides when she sees Fuka, but decides to confront her. While changing their shoes, Akito sees the two of them, this prompts Sana to tell Fuka that she knows hes been acting up, and Fuka's dam breaks, ranting to Sana about how stressed she's been.
They cut homeroom to instead talk in the bathroom. Fuka explains the main points that have happened, and Sana listens. Fuka then also admits that she was hoping she wouldn't have to see Sana again, but that she's happy to get everything off her chest and talk to her. She tells Sana she also feels like the third wheel, and Sana can't deny it. They decide to be fully honest even if it's insulting, so Fuka says she thinks Sana was lying when she said she stopped having feelings for Akito, which Sana confirms. Sana then drops the bomb that she saw Akito a few days before, and asks why Fuka wouldn't intervene more when Akito is clearly doing badly. She responds saying they barely talk, that he doesn't care about her, but Sana rebuts that he wouldn't date someone he doesn't care about. Fuka decides she'll try to do more, and Sana says that if she doesn't Sana will steal Akito from her.
Sana's stressed about saying something so mean, but affirms that she has to be firm in this... She hopes they can still be friends, but feels like it's stupidly optimistic to believe they could be after everything. Fuka says she won't let Sana have him, and leaves, heading to class. Sana follows, and is given the same survey Tsuyoshi and Akito were given. Sana wonders if it'd be okay to put Fuka's name in the "friends" section. She forgoes writing in Fuka's name, but when she hands in the survey to her teacher, she notices that on Fuka's filled out survey, she wrote Sana's name in the friends section, which makes Sana more hopeful that maybe they CAN still be friends after everything.
Suddenly, a parent bursts into the teacher's room, asking where Class 1 is, and more specifically where Akito is. Sana notices cops are outside, and the woman goes on to say that her son Kazuyuki is missing, and that he left a suicide note, saying Akito is to blame.
Sana runs to get Fuka, meanwhile Mr. Sengoku pulls Akito out of class.
Characters[]
- Sana Kurata
- Akito Hayama
- Fuka Matsui
- Tsuyoshi Sasaki
- Aya Sugita
- Rei Sagami
- Misako Kurata
- Maro
- Suzuki
- Sengoku
- Yukihiro Yasuda
- Mrs. Komori
- Fuyuki Hayama (mentioned)
- Rumi (mentioned)
- Hisae Kamayai (mentioned)
Author's Notes[]
As I Was Saying...: "Like I said, drawing people always gives me trouble. The worst part (for me, at least) is the legs. I can't draw feet or shoes well, either. So usually I just make them really cartoony...."
"If I had more time, and a good reference to follow, I could probably draw better feet. But I usually don't have either. But it's no one's fault but my own. The other thing that gives me a lot of trouble is Akito's eyebrows! I have to draw them over and over to get them right. Sana is very expressive and her face is always changing, so she's easy. But Akito's expression never changes...so if one of his eyebrows is off by even a millimeter, it totally changes his expression and I have to do it over. (Hey, Akito! Why don't you shave your eyebrows and make my life easier!! Ha ha!) To tell the truth, I have trouble drawing bodies a lot, too. And heads - heads are really hard. And faces are so hard to get right... Wow, that's pretty much everything, isn't it? But I won't give up! I'm gonna keep on drawing! given You readers haven't up on me, so I won't give up on you!!"
Dog Reads Comics!: "From reading my fan mail, I get the impression that Kodocha has a lot more older readers now. I think that a lot of people went and started reading the books after they saw the Kodocha cartoon on TV here in Japan. That's the power of television for you! It seems like a lot of older women started reading it... and boys, too. By the way-all you guys out there who have become big Akito fans...? Forget it! If you want a role model, follow Tsuyoshi's example! (hee hee) I really admire all the grown women who buy girls' comics without any embarrassment. I get a lot of letters from high school and college age readers that start out "I thought I was too old to read comics, but..." If you want to read comics, who cares how old you are?! Go ahead and read them, and good for you! Anyone who wants to read them should. If your dog wants to read comics, he should get to as well! Okay, maybe that's going a little too far.... (hee hee)"
Trivia[]
- This chapter was never adapted in the anime.