WataMote Chapter 175-1

Chapter 175-1
Information
Volume Number	Volume 18
Chapter Title	Since I'm Not Popular Study Camp Ends: Prequel
Published	April 1, 2020
Previous Chapter	Chapter 174.5
Next Chapter	Special Chapter

私がモテないのはどう考えてもお前らが悪い!

Watashi ga Motenai no wa dō Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!

No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys' Fault I’m Not Popular!

Synopsis

This chapter is called "Prequel" or "First "Part" (前編・zenhen). It is followed by a Special Chapter, then a Sequel.

Miyazaki, Emirii, Nagi, and Kayo sit on a bed in their various pajamas laughing as they compare makeup products. Emiri wears a cat-ear barrette. The bottom narration reads: "It’s just studying, but it’s a fun memory!"

An anonymously drawn female teacher announces the end of class while setting homework for Class B to hand in the following day.

Not Shown: Miho-chan exhibiting shame.

In the hallway, Kayo walks with Miyazaki, followed by Emiri and Nagi, then Tomoko and Yuri. Tomoko asks Yuri if Class B has homework; Yuri responds by asking if Class C did not. Behind them, Asuka walks with Miho. Miho stretches her arms up as she celebrates the end of class. Nagi suggests they stop by their rooms before entering the baths. Yuri agrees, Emiri smiles, and Tomoko looks concerned.

At the baths, Miho again raises her arms in triumph to celebrate the baths. Emiri stares severely at Tomoko with her River in Egypt Face™. Tomoko is nervous as Yuri looks at her quizzically. To herself, Tomoko admits that she wanted to go to the baths but now recalls that she dyed her "lower hair (下の毛・shita no ke)," which means she is now "half Ak●gi." She fears the others will think of her as one who characterizes herself by that hair.

Shown: "A Cunning Plan, M'Lord!"

She quickly rinses herself while covering her nethers, then finds a way to jump into the bath just as she removes her towel to the surprise of Yuri and Emiri.

Not Shown: A Successful Plan
Shown: Uchi's New Eyes!

However, Miho immediately, and happily, shrieks: "White?! Silver! Kuro-chan, you dyed it?!" Tomoko inwardly swears as Emiri loses her Emoji Face in surprise, and Yuri flatly asks her if she is a moron. Still happy, Miho asks her "why" repeatedly. As Tomoko sheepishly tries to explain that she wanted to change her look, to which Miho happily wonders why she would change the look of her "lower hair," Nagi looks back and remarks to Miyazaki and Kayo about Emiri's expression. She hopes that Emiri and Tomoko can become friends again quickly. Kayo responds "you think so," while Miyazaki cannot tell if Emiri's expression means she is disgusted or surprised.

Fūka sits observing and smugly congratulating herself for discovering Tomoko's secret earlier. Next to her, Yū stares with her happy but surprised expression. Near her, Kotomi remarks, "about that, it must've really hurt." Her comment surprises Yū and Itō. Starring at Kotomi, Fūka wonders if she is more dangerous than Tomoko. Kotomi continues to confess that in middle school she tried to dye her hair purple. The surprised Itō asks her why she dyed her pubic hair purple. Kotomi explains that she was influenced by the film Kick-Ass. As Itō continues to ask why, Fūka muses that since Kotomi does not seem involved with Asuka or Miho, and seems crazy, she best not question her.

Asuka offers that Tomoko originally dyed the hair on her head. Still bubbling, Miho eagerly asks Tomoko why she dyed both. Tomoko sheepishly tries to deflect that she has her reasons. Miho moves next to her and asks her to whisper them into her ear. Blushing, Tomoko inwardly rages that talking about secrets while naked is dangerous, but she whispers to Miho that "Katō-san" came over to her house and into her room. As Miho eagerly listens and Asuka and Yuri watch, Tomoko whispers to Miho that she thought that any hairs she dropped would stand out less if they were silver rather than black so she dyed them.

Miho laughs then gently suggests that Tomoko have hers removed. Tomoko nervously protests that going all smooth is "a little . . ." but Miho playfully demands to know how that is more embarrassing than dyeing them silver. She then offers that lots of girls have theirs removed including herself. This surprises Tomoko, who then whole-body blushes as she stares down at Miho. In response, Miho giggles and squirts water into Tomoko's face as she playfully scolds her for staring and being so erotic. Uchi splashes the water on Tomoko's face and stares angrily at her with her River in Egypt Face.

Shown: Unhappy Emoji

Next to her Yuri watches. Emiri then explodes: "This huge perverted great lesbo (このど変態のどレズが・kono dohentai no doresuga)!" Miho cheerfully asks if "Kuro-chan" is "over there," which is decently "fanilated" into "play for the other team." Tomoko stammers that they are wrong whilst wondering, "this fucking Emoji (このクソ絵文字が・kono kuso emoji ga). . . !"

The scene shifts to the "Sky View Lounge." Tomoko and Yuri stare out at the view. Tomoko remarks that while the view is high up, it is not that impressive. Yuri agrees that it is not that different from Makuhari. Behind them sits a smiling Asuka. The scene resolves to her sitting in a massage chair next to Kaho. Asuka pleasantly remarks that Kaho seems pretty tired which means the National Classes are pretty tough. Kaho agrees and smiles as she looks ahead and enjoys her chair then continues that she does kind of regret that she did not apply to Asuka's university. Next to her, Kotomi appears to be achieving bliss in her massage chair to Itō's consternation.

Tomoko looks at her phone, announces to Yuri that it is 8 o'clock, then nervously turns to Asuka who genially informs Tomoko that since she moved up a class and has homework she should do self-study tonight to Tomoko's stunned surprise. Asuka smiles as Tomoko leaves the room with Yuri. She then turns to Kaho and asks her how they became friends. Next to Kaho, Kotomi has certainly achieved bliss, the nature of which propriety prevents further speculation on the part of WataMote Wiki. 

Kaho replies that Asuka just called her out, and they became friends. Asuka asks her if that is so; Kaho asks if she does not remember. Looking forward, Kaho then suggests that Asuka should try not being like a mother. When Asuka asks if she is like a mother, Kaho rhetorically asks if she is not like that when speaking to her classmates. She then in chibi mode slaps a surprised chibi Kotomi a bit to bring her back to reality and suggests they go back to their room. Itō thinks "she's back." Asuka remains speechless.

Tomoko and Yuri walk through a dinning area where numerous anonymously drawn girls study in groups. Tomoko remarks that it is amazing that they can study in a place like that, but Yuri reminds her that the entire hotel is reserved for them. Nagi calls out to them both from her group at a table that includes Kayo, Miyazaki, and a surprised Emiri. She informs them that they were just finishing their homework so they should join them. Yuri starts to reply that she is "fine," but Tomoko replies that she will go to her room to fetch her work.

Yuri and Tomoko sit at the table across from themselves with Yuri sitting next to Nagi and Tomoko sitting next to Emiri. Miyazaki remarks that since they leave the afternoon after tomorrow, tomorrow is effectively their last day. Emiri appears a bit surprised when Nagi reveals that she was not sure when Uchi invited them, but she does feel smarter. Kayo mutters that she guesses that is true, and Tomoko looks at Emiri. Nagi continues that she also got to become closer to Yuri and Tomoko as well as others then suggests it might be fun if they all end up in college together. Kayo sighs that it will be tough, but Emiri remarks that since in the previous year twenty-five students from their high school got into Aogaku and there are ten students in their class that want to attend, she thinks there is a chance they can all get in. Miyazaki replies that that would be nice, and Emiri agrees. Tomoko thinks that "Emoji" has a lot more "data" in her than she appears to have.

Emiri turns to Tomoko and asks her for what reason she "dyed silver." Tomoko angrily insists that there is no reason to talk about it. Emiri explodes into her Tantrum Emoji Face [ > < – Ed.]™ and demands to know why Tomoko revealed it to "that girl," with a [Happy – Ed.] Chibi Miho, and not to her. Tomoko rhetorically insists that there is no reason to tell "Uchi-san," "is there?" While Emiri remains in her Tantrum Emoji Face™ staring at Tomoko, Nagi eagerly tells Tomoko to never mind "Ucchī "and tell them instead. Yuri inwardly admits that she is curious what "stupid reason" Tomoko did it for. Kayo mopes that they are six girls but they can only talk about pubic hair.

Tomoko sleeps in her bed. Next to her, Fūka keeps an eye on her. Tomoko's phone buzzes with a message. She sees that it is from Asuka and it reads, "Are you still awake?" She messages back that she is. Asuka replies by asking if she has time before calisthenics in the morning. Tomoko replies that she does and asks her what time. Asuka asks if she can come to the lobby at 5:30 A.M. Tomoko wonders what it is about, "morning study or something?" As she falls back asleep and drops her phone on her bed, she muses that she did not have any "Katō Classes today, so. . . ."

Characters

In order of appearance:

• Miyazaki
• Emiri Uchi
• Nagi
• Kayo
• Tomoko Kuroki
• Yuri Tamura
• Asuka Katō
• Miho Narita
• Fūka Sasaki
• Yū Naruse
• Kotomi Komiyama
• Hikari Itō
• Kaho Kusunoki

Referbacks

• "Hail! Hail! The Emoji Gang's All Here!": they previously appear as a cover in Chapters 82 and 152.
• Curtains and Carpets: Tomoko dyed her hair, as well as her "other hairs," silver in Chapter 170.
• "I already verified that information yesterday morning!": Fūka got to see Tomoko's "hairs down there" when she accidentally walked in on her in the bathroom in Chapter 174.
• "You Always Hurt the One You キモい!": As she did in Chapter 166, Emiri loudly denounces and embarrasses Tomoko publicly only to wonder how she can be closer to her.
• "All Right, Mr. DeMille, I'm Ready for My Close-Up": Uchi's angry face, affectionately classified by WataMote Wiki as her River in Egypt Face™, when she splashes Tomoko before screaming at her is the same angry face she makes when she hears Tomoko explain the meaning of "LGBT" in class.
• Armchair Totonō?: Similar to the way she intentionally achieved this state in Chapter 173, Kotomi enters a strange trance after taking seat in the vibrating armchair. She also achieved a similar if not the same "state" when Tomoko rewarded her with the opportunity to spend a half-an-hour in her brother's room. Watamote Wiki does not judge.
• The Left Hand of Darkness: Curiously, Yuri holds her pen in her left hand. Previous chapters such as Chapter 167 depict her writing with her right hand. The consistently depicted left-handed character is Yū Naruse.

Cultural References

• Akagi: censored in the Japanese Original, the main character has silver hair.
• Bangs: WataMote Wiki found a number of articles discussing the reasons for Japanese girls loving bangs but could not find a reference for the compress Kayo wears to maintain hers.
• Down Below: The chapter uses a more specific term (下の毛) as noted in the References.
• Kick-Ass: Kotomi wished cosplay the character "Hit-Girl" in this film.
• Makuhari

Trivia

• There is No Shag in the Carpet: Miho reveals that she shaves her lower part.
• "She's Got a Lot More Data in Her than Her Looks Imply": Similar to Yuri in Chapter 174, Tomoko had a prejudice about Emiri's depth of character based on her expression.
• Two Great Otaku Girls Think Alike: Tomoko feared that if her classmates discovered she dyed her lower hairs they would believe that she is a "weirdo" who cosplays just "those hairs." Meanwhile, Kotomi reveals she did that to herself when she was in middle school with the intention of cosplaying Hit-Girl from Kick-Ass.

Memorable moments

• "...so I dyed them...": Finally, it’s revealed the reason why Tomoko dyed 'those hairs'.
• "You just called me and we became friends": How Asuka and Kaho become friends is revealed, as well as the fact that Asuka has been unaware of her "motherly" demeanor.
• "Ten Little Indians": Taking Emiri's comment in account, there are Tomoko, Asuka, Yuri, Emiri, Miyazaki, Kayo, Nagi, and Fūka, which makes a total of 8 girls from Makuhari Shūei High School who want to get into Aoyama Gakuin University, and who are now in the Cram School Study Camp, which leaves two currently unknown.
• The "L-Word" or "Women in Comfortable Shoes": This is the first time Emiri has used a derogatory term for lesbian as well as the first time she has directly and publicly accused Tomoko of being one. This suggests that Emiri does find the idea "disgusting," but clearly "the Lady doth protest too much." In the next Special Chapter, she returns to using her catch-phrase キモい. Nevertheless, she is offended that Tomoko did not confide in her. As she struggles with her sexuality, she tried to hold contradictory concepts in her head.

Quotes

• "Oh, crap!! I know I wanted to get into the hot springs, but ... I totally forgot ...! My lower half is still Ak●agi right now!! They're gonna think I'm some weirdo who characterizes just their pubes! I need to get in somehow without getting found out!" – Tomoko Kuroki
• "White?! Silver! Kuro-chan, you dyed it?!" – Miho Narita
• "For some reason, this plain looking girl ... might be just as ... no, even more dangerous than Kuroki. She's not involved with me, Asuka or Miho ... and she seem pretty crazy, so I'd better not bother probing her!!" – Fūka Sasaki about Kotomi
• "Man, talking about secrets in the nude is dangerous in all kinds of ways..." – Tomoko
• "This huge perverted great lesbo!" – Emiri Uchi
• "Why did you tell that girl and not me?!" – Emiri to Tomoko
• "There's six girls here, and yet we're talking about pubic hair." – Kayo

Gallery