On the 1st of June (6月1日), an excited Hina announces to Tomoko and Yuri as they stand in the school hallway that she now realizes that Tomoko's skirt is too long. Over Tomoko's protests, Hina explains that skirts should be short at least during the summer. Tomoko responds that she cannot make her skirt shorter, and over Hina's disbelief, she argues that no one cares or will notice if her skirt is short. Hina asks if Tomoko is self-conscious, and Tomoko inwardly swears. Hina continues that Tomoko's longer skirt makes her stand out more, and she can at least shorten it to her knees. Tomoko retorts that at least her skirt does not reveal her "lascivious pink" as "Nemo's" does. As Yuri quietly giggles, a sweating Hina angrily insists that everyone, including Yuri, wears short skirts.
Yuri replies that, "unlike Nemoto-san," she wears something extra underneath her skirt: "under pants (アンダーパンツ・andā pantsu)," to Hina's surprise. While inwardly considering Tomoko's term "lascivious pink," Yuri explains that Mako also wears them, and she believed that pretty much every girl wears them. For her part, Tomoko thinks that she did not see these "under pants" Yuri describes when she was under the desk and peeked up her skirt.
Exasperated, Hina insists that they are not talking about her skirt and, since it is hot, Tomoko should have a shorter skirt. Tomoko inwardly notes that Hina always changes the subject when she does not want to deal with it. She relents and starts to roll up her waist band to raise her hem above her knees and asks how she looks. Hina admits that she does not look too bad but her skirt remains too long and Tomoko has to roll up her waist band at least three times. Tomoko claims that she had done that before, but it causes her skirt to wrinkle and appear "strange."
Hina's Hands Caught in the Cookie Jar
As Katō and Okada approach them from down the hallways, Hina insists that she will teach Tomoko how to roll it up cleanly while Tomoko tries to refuse. Katō asks them what they are doing as Hina is rolling Tomoko's waist band under her shirt. Both look at Katō and Okada embarrassed. Tomoko claims that Hina declared they would shorten her skirt to reveal her panties. Okada immediately accuses her of lying and protests that Hina "never would," only to pause and inwardly recall that around Tomoko Hina becomes strange. She quickly recalls "the time of the university," then wonders if this is another side of Hina she does not know. She stammers, "Hi-Hina," to which Hina angrily issues a denial.
Katō calmly asks Tomoko if she wants her skirt shorter since she thinks short skirts look good.
WataMote Wikia insists that there is nothing inappropriate about this goodness no!
Tomoko starts to stammer about the amount her skirt has been reduced, but Katō pleasantly interrupts that she would like to see her skirt shorter. She then begins to roll up Tomoko's waist band further as Tomoko blushes and sweats.
The following day, Tomoko makes her way to school wearing a short skirt. She inwardly admits that she feels both amazingly uncomfortable and anxious as she muses that for five years, from her junior high school days to yesterday, "it has been long skirts." She finds herself walking behind a girl wearing a short plaid skirt ascending the stairs to the train station. Blushing, she begins to walk up the stairs and reflexively clasps her hands behind her. Stunned, she realizes that she reflexively hid the back of her skirt with her hands as she started to ascend the stairs. She sees the girl in front of her similarly place her hand behind her to hold her skirt down and obscure any "view." Tomoko muses that every time she has seen such a girl from behind do that she felt that the girl expected her to peek. She now realizes that she also does not want to expose her panties to others who might think they are "gross or dirty or something!" She recalls sitting as a child wearing shorts with her knees together looking up the shorts of boys and recalls how they became embarrassed if their fly was open or if they "poked out the side" of their boxer shorts. She suspects it is the same thing.
She sits on the train embarrassed and holding her hands clasped over her skirt between her knees to prevent anyone peaking. She swears to herself and thinks that just by shortening her skirt she has had to start "acting like a female (メス・mesu)." Standing, Miyazaki looks and sweats when she notices that Tomoko is on the same train with her. Tomoko continues wondering how all of the other girls on the train can remain calm and wonders if they would feel her pressure if they wore nothing under their skirts.
Arriving at school, Hina sees Tomoko from behind and notes to herself that she is wearing a short skirt. She smiles as she thinks that Tomoko is always committing "sexual harassment," "but today!" She rushes up to her and loudly greets her which causes Tomoko to scream and reach down to prevent her skirt from riding up. Laughing, Hina suggests that she could have at least let out a cuter scream only to notice that Tomoko is blushing and mortified. She asks Tomoko why she has such an expression, and Tomoko confesses that she feels embarrassed, she screamed, and she is upset with herself. She admits that for the first time she has become a "female" (メス・mesu) and understands what sexual harassment feels like. From now on she will restrain herself. As Okada approaches noticing them, Hina questions that she has become a "female" since she has always been a "girl (女の子・onna no ko)."
Tomoko replies that Hina still has her "lascivious pink," to Hina's surprise. Tomoko continues that, after all, it was Hina who forcibly shortened her skirt and exposed her panties as Hina blushes and smiles sternly and Okada looks surprised behind them.
In this chapter Tomoko says, and Yuri ponders, 淫乱ピンク (いんらんピンク・inran pinku) or "lewd/lascivious pink." Fan translations incorrectly add "panties" to her phrase. Tomoko is not talking about Hina's "pink panties"; as in the Volume 15 Special Edition, she is taking about Hina's Aphrodisiacal Tennis Court. As the subsequent chapter demonstrates, Hina is profoundly embarrassed by Tomoko viewing, and telling Katō about seeing, her Road to a Christening. To further the pun, pink-colored hair on anime girls is also called "inran pinku" and some fans think this means they are promiscuous. Tomoko's responses to Akane's questions demonstrate that she does not refer to Hina's "panties." Chapter 178 reveals that Tomoko saw Hina's said Road to a Christening when she stood and left the onsen in Chapter 73.
Under the Desk: also in the previous chapter, Tomoko inwardly celebrates that she had the opportunity to peek underneath Mako and Yuri's skirts to view their pantsu while she rested her head on Katō's lap under her desk.
University Times: Okada recalls the time she visited a university with Hina and Tomoko.
Southern Exposure: Tomoko accidentally flashes a park in Chapter 38.
Skirting Continuity: For much of her time in high school, Tomoko has worn the high school uniform skirt, seen in the Gallery, that comes down to her knees; however, she has not worn one that comes above her knees until this chapter.
Just a Girl (女の子・onna no ko): Hina previously insists that Tomoko is still a "girl" when she tries to retort that it is Tomoko who is perverted for playing eroge games when she is still a girl.
Tomoko calls Hina "Nemo" (ネモ) without any honorific in front of Yuri. Okada addresses her as "Hina" without any honorific. Katō addresses Tomoko as "Kuroki-san."
Tomoko's shorter skirt makes the sound "teku" as she walks.
Memorable Moments[]
Despite her inward thoughts, her willingness to "sexually harass" others like Yū, and her mission to peek at others' panties whenever she finds the opportunity, Tomoko is actually quite shy about herself.
Tomoko's observation about Hina avoiding things.
Quotes[]
"Nemo's got a bad habit of forcing topic changes when she doesn't want to deal with things." - Tomoko Kuroki
"Nemo's trying to shorten my skirt so she can expose my panties to everyone." - Tomoko
"Liar!" - Akane Okada
Gallery[]
"Still completely innocent!" - WataMote Wiki
Tomoko's previous skirt she has worn for most of the series . . .
