WataMote Chapter 185

Chapter 185
Information
Volume Number	Volume 20
Chapter Title	Because I'm Not Popular I'll Choose My Seat Freely.
Published	December 2, 2020
Previous Chapter	Chapter 184-2
Next Chapter	Special Edition

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

Standing at her desk, Ogino announces that since this will be their class' last seat change, she will allow the students to freely discuss where they would like to sit. She adds that if things become too noisy during the lessons, they will have their seats determined by lottery again. She gives them until the end of school to decide. Sitting in the front of class, Wada, Yoshinori, and Suzuki decide to go to the back of the class to work on it. To herself, Tomoko declares that the time has finally come.

Tomoko observes to anonymous boys working on the seating chart at the back of the room. Tomoko muses that being able to choose your own seat is not very convenient for a loner since his options are limited to the remaining seat. She imagines a chart with a section for the "unpopular (不人気・funinki)" with the "super unpopular (超不人気・chōfuninki)" in between as she muses that it is just a matter of who fills up the unpopular seats first. However, now since she is no longer a loner, she has the privilege to choose her own seat.

Yuri approaches her and asks her where she is thinking of sitting. Before Tomoko can respond, Yuri indicates that she is fine wherever she sits so long as it is with her, Masaki, and Mako. Hina appears to ask Tomoko if she has decided, then indicates, as she is surrounded by animesque bunnies, that Tomoko should sit next to her and Akane. She then asks Yuri if she also wants to sit close by. Yuri flatly replies only if there is a cushion of seats between them.

Not Shown: Subtext . . . goodness no!

To herself, Tomoko recalls that Asuka asked her if she wanted to sit near her and then imagines trying to incorporate Yuri, Asuka, and Hina. She is again interrupted, this time by Emiri. Surrounded by animesque bubbles, Emiri asks her where she is sitting. Tomoko is shocked since Emiri is not part of her class. Emiri explains over a view of a seating chart that they can choose their seats in her class as well, and if Tomoko picks a seat at the back of the class, she will be able to sit near her. Tomoko corrects her that there will still be a wall between them. Emiri explains that if they are within the same five meter radius, she will be able to detect Tomoko as if they are in the same classroom. Tomoko asks if that is suppose to be like the circle from Hunter, with the name censored in the Japanese. Emiri continues that she also tried to create a baseball lineup, but since she does not know much about baseball, she could not complete it. Her lineup includes Kayo, Miyazaki, Nagi, Kaede, and Natsu, with Tomoko identified as the pitcher and herself as the catcher.

Tomoko demands to know why she would choose baseball, but both are interrupted by Kotomi, who is with Itō, who enters the conversation asking if someone mentioned baseball lineups. Inwardly, Tomoko acidly thinks that speaking unnecessary things summons unnecessary people.

Mako, sitting next to Masaki who has her head resting on her desk, asks her what she will do. Masaki replies that she should write whatever she thinks will work for her. Smiling, Mako thinks she will ask Yuri and Tomoko, but she is interrupted by Minami. She beamingly rhetorically asks her if it is fine to sit next to her and to write it on the chart. Mako protests that she has not yet decided, but Minami cautions that she has to decide quickly since the places are filling up. While maintaining her expression, Minami does sweat as she asks if Mako will not betray her, and a chibi Mako sweats in response.

Mako struggles to figure out a seating arrangement that puts her next to Minami, and Yuri next to Tomoko, while keeping Yuri away from Minami. Yuri rhetorically asks her if she is still at it, and Tomoko suggests that she just put her near the window or a wall, then reminds Mako that she needs to hurry. Mako snaps that she is doing it and for Tomoko to be quiet which startles Yuri. Some distance away at the actual chart, Masaki observes Mako and the rest. Next to her, Shiki opens a magic marker, and Masaki turns to her and tells her that she is fine sitting next to her and to write it down. This elicits a panicked shout from Mako. A chibi Mako demands that she wait, to which chibi Masaki responds that anywhere is good for her. Mako angrily retorts that it is not good for them.

To herself, Tomoko muses that this is rather inconvenient in and of itself. She walks the hallways alone, passing the Long Black-Haired Girl and Short-Haired Blond Girl who walk together. She passes the upstairs area, storage space, and other places in which she use to hide. She makes her way to the library, where she muses that she has not been in some time. She enters and sees Akari sitting next to Kotomi. Tomoko thinks "dick (ちんちん・chinchin)" when she sees the two of them. Akari reacts surprised to see her, but Tomoko walks past her calmly waving her hand and sits next to an open window.

When she returns to class, she sits next to Asuka. When Tomoko confirms to her that she was at the library, Asuka reminds her that they read books in the library during the a snowy day in their second year. Tomoko admits that she was reminded of that. Asuka asks her if she has decided on her seat; Tomoko replies that if the seat is still free, there is one place she would like to sit. The seating chart shows an open seat at the lower left corner, next to Kotomi.

The final seating, as shown in the Gallery, has Tomoko next to the window. Ogino announces that if there are no complaints, then they will go with the arrangement, and she asks the student on duty for the day to commence with the farewell. Yuri turns to Tomoko and gripes that they could have sat next to one another if Tomoko agreed with Mako's arrangement. Tomoko understands but explains that even if they do not sit next to one another, they spent most of their time together anyway. Yuri reluctantly accepts this. Hina comes up to Tomoko to note that this is the same seat Tomoko had in her first year. Tomoko explains that that was because of her attendance number, but now she can play with her phone since no one is watching her from behind. With a sunny view of the now empty class, Tomoko adds that it is the first time that she has wnated to view the classroom from that seat.

Hina teases that it is because anime and light novel protagonists sit in that seat. Tomoko agrees.

Characters

In order of appearance:

• Ogino
• Wada
• Yoshinori Kiyota
• Suzuki
• Tomoko Kuroki
• Yuri Tamura
• Hina Nemoto
• Asuka Katō
• Emiri Uchi
• Kayo (mentioned)
• Miyazaki (mentioned)
• Nagi (mentioned)
• Kaede (mentioned)
• Natsu (mentioned)
• Hikari Itō
• Kotomi Komiyama
• Mako Tanaka
• Masaki Yoshida
• Koharu Minami
• Shiki Futaki
• Long Black-Haired Girl
• Short-Haired Blond Girl
• Akari Iguchi
• Akane Okada
• Yui (girl in library)
• Guy at library

Referbacks

• Gropegate II: Electric Boogaloo: The Volume 18 Omake revealed that Tomoko accidentally groped Emiri from behind in a bath thinking she was Yū. There has thus far been no further reference to this from either party, let alone any indication as to what happened immediately afterwards. However, it appears that Emiri was not hurt by whatever explanation Tomoko gave. If anything, her crush appears stronger, and she is willing to admit to Tomoko that she wants to be around her. For her part, Tomoko does not appear more disturbed by Uchi, which suggests that after the initial shock of Emiri's confession that the groping "feels good!" she was calmed down. WataMote Wiki will spare the paragraphs of speculation on how that could have happened since that is all that it is at this point.
• "Dick": Akari and Kotomi earn Tomoko's nickname in Chapter 91.
• "Surely you're not... gonna betray me, right, Makocchi...?": Koharu has the habit of emotionally blackmailing Mako with the "feeling betrayed," for example in Chapter 137 she accuses her of "ditching" her in the 2nd year departure party of Chapter 120.
• "Those seats piled in stairs going to rooftop": When Tomoko walks by the hallway with intention of getting away of her friends quarreling about arrangement of seats, she sees some seats piled in the stairs that lead to rooftop, which reminds her of the arrangement of seats in Chapter 19.
• *"The gap between the north and the south school buildings": this was mentioned and appeared in Chapter 45 when Tomoko tried to make a joke to her brother about having a boyfriend.
• "The glasses guy and the loner girl": The pair of students whom Tomoko in Chapter 12 tried to manipulate to going with her to watch fireworks.
• "We read books in the library together on that snowy day during the second year, didn't we?": Asuka remembers this first meaningful moment with Tomoko from in Chapter 109.

Cultural References

• Hunter: Tomoko is talking about "En" (円・エン・Circle), a technique from the Hunter x Hunter manga.
• "Pitchers and Catchers": yes, that euphemism applies in Japanese, but whether it is an intentional reference, and whether Emiri intends to make that reference, remains speculation.

Memorable Moments

• "The quiet girl got a breaking point": Through most part of the series, Mako is a calm girl by nature. The stress of trying to accommodate everyone without creating conflict finally makes her explode.
• "It's because anime and light novel protagonists sit there, isn't it?": Tomoko picks the last row seat next to window which, as Hina mentions, is a seat Tomoko had in her first year as well as the common seat of anime and manga protagonists.

Quotes

• "The time... has finally come...!!" – Tomoko Kuroki
• "Being able to choose your own seat isn't really very convenient for a loner. A loner's options are pretty much limited to whatever the last remaining piece is. It's just matter of who fills up the unpopular seats firts. But I've made it in time. Since I'm no longer a loner. I have the privilege of choosing my own seat." – Tomoko
• "Surely you're not . . . gonna betray me, right, Makocchi. . . ?"– Koharu Minami to Mako Tanaka
• "Speak unnecessary things and unnecessary people shall appear!!" – Tomoko
• "It's the first time I've wanted to view the classroom from this seat at the back of my own" – Tomoko

Gallery