WataMote Chapter 220-1

Chapter 220-1
Information
Volume Number	25
Chapter Title	Because I'm Not Popular, School Festival Day 1 (Part 1)
Published	January 17, 2024
Previous Chapter	Chapter 219
Next Chapter	Chapter 220-2

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 divided into titled sections. The cover depicts the stairwell in the school. Near the top, Kiko walks with Shizuku. While the latter has her back towards the Reader, Kiko looks back upon Suzuki and the dressed-as-girl Wada, who are ascending behind them. Descending the stairs, a sweating and slightly-disturbed Kakinuma walks next to Hirotaka. Just in front of them and reaching the floor, Shiki walks with Koharu. Shiki looks back up the stairs with surprise. For her part, Koharu beams as she clutches a bucket of popcorn. Walking just off the panel in front of them, Kayo chats with the mostly-obscured Miyazaki. Finally, down the next flight of stairs, Miho chats with Fūka. The narration over the scene reads: "How each enjoys."

Sex Actress (性優・seiyū)

Shown: Smug Smirk

As Akane chats with Yoshinori, who is holding a book open, Hina receives a text from Yuri. As a text, Yuri has a smug smirk as she proclaims that Tomoko's little brother got kissed, but "Nemoto-san" was not there to see it. Hina inwardly rages over the text, but she does recall that he was the one who was so rude to her previously. She then sees him, with the remnants of his "I'm in PAIN!" Face, and a Faceless Sachi approaching in the corridor. She inwardly admits that she is really curious. With the next panel focusing on Tomoki's intense eyes, Concerned Chibi Hina reacts with surprise, then thinks that while she can now ask him directly, she is scared.

Also Shown: Smug Smirk

She stands in front of Tomoki. Surrounded by animesque highlights, she smiles as she declares that she heard that "Tomo-kun" was kissed on stage, declares him "smooth," and then she asks who it was. Angry, Tomoki demands, "Who are you? Don't just appear suddenly and talk to me, damn it!" Hina protests that they just talked yesterday. Still basking in animesque highlights, she closes her eyes and looks away as she inwardly muses that his harshness appears refreshing: "I've never been verbally abused to this extent by a boy, let alone someone younger than me. . . ." They are interrupted by Akane calling out and then scolding Tomoki for talking that way as a second year. Tomoki reacts with surprise, then pauses. Whilst this happens, Faceless Sachi smiles and inwardly muses, "This guy is really good! A man who is just kind to a woman who rubs him regardless of whether the woman is trash." However, to her verbal surprise, Tomoki apologizes to Akane. Inwardly, he notes that it is rare to find a senior who speaks normally. His apology also surprises Akane, who relaxes and acknowledges it; however, behind her, Hina remains angry and also emits an "E?!"

Akane apologizes for suddenly speaking so harshly without knowing the situation, but Tomoki insists that it is truly not right to talk that way to a senior. Hina stutters an interruption, tries to smile, then demands to know why his reaction to Akane was so different than to her. More relaxed than before, Tomoki claims that she is open and direct, enters people's "dirty places," then sounds and acts like an otaku who tries to make everything she says and does a performance, so he does not want to talk to her. Standing on either side of her, Akane and Yoshinori sweat in agreement with his assessment. Hina closes her eyes in a classic manga and anime pose and insists, "No, unlike Kuro, I don't really feel like an otaku." She appears to realize how she appears when she opens her eyes and sees Akane's expression. Sweating profusely, she turns from the Reader, places her left hand on the wall, and supports herself. Nevertheless, Akane inwardly feels her over-reaction is very otaku-like.

She explains to Tomoki that Hina is who she is, but since she does not mean to offend, kindly do not be so harsh. Tomoki accepts this, but Hina reacts with surprise to this conversation. Brightly, she assures "A-Chan" that it is fine since she does not care, and she likes being told off harshly. This elicits an "E?" from Akane. Still bright but now blushing deeply, Hina explains, "To be strongly criticized feels good, doesn't it? Isn't hearing something that would never be said in normal conversation exciting?" "Yeah, well, you're a voice actress," a sweating Akane responds. Hina thinks that that is a term that can be misunderstood. For their part, Tomoki glares in Hina's direction whilst Faced Sachi glares in his. She inwardly grouses, "BORING! Can't we go somewhere fast?"

Guide (ガイド・Gaido)

Shown: Ménage à Trois
[Citation Needed – Ed.]

With a big bow in her hair, Emiri invites Tomoko and Asuka to enter the coffee cup: "Get in me!" Asuka pleasantly smiles as she sits while Tomoko somewhat sheepishly holds the disk in the center. To both of their surprise, Emiri enters the cup as well. Asuka pleasantly asks why "Uchi-san" also got in. Emiri claims that now as a service, she will be their "special guide." "Well," she continues, "let the fun adventure begin!" Non-Plussed Chibi Tomoko wryly asks if there is such a "set-up." With a view of two Happy Chans[Tm. – Ed.] enjoying the ride, Still Non-Plussed Chibi Tomoko asks if she does not have to serve everyone else. Falsetto Chibi Emiri insists that it is fine. After a pause, Yet Still Non-Plussed Chibi Tomoko insists that that was not an explanation.

The Ménage à Trois trio spin, and Asuka excitedly observes, "Waaa it's awesome, right? This looks the real thing." In her falsetto, Emiri tells them to spin the wheel a lot. When they do this, the rotatory forces push Tomoko into Asuka. Tomoko remarks, "Oo! Centripetal force!" Still in her falsetto, Emiri orders them, "Turn it the other way or we'll die." When they do, Tomoko moves from Asuka towards Emiri, but someone shouts out to them, "Ucchī, you're turning it too much, turn it down a little!" Tomoko wryly asks Emiri if it feels like "back parking."

Dog Species (犬系・inukei)

In the audience, Kiko and Shizuku applaud enthusiastically. The narrator off the panel reads, ". . . after, the two lived happily." Also off the panel, Kotomi shrieks her critical objections. Recalling Sayaka blushing deeply as she kisses Tomoki, Kiko keeps clapping as she thinks, "I can't believe my big brother, who was so uninteresting, could shine so brightly.

Shown: Sayaka Prancing . . . Happily!

As she walks with Shizuku, Kiko smiles and thinks, "I came to check on my sister, but there was an increase in unnecessary fun." She spies Sayaka prancing from a classroom into the hallway. Sayaka runs into manning Nakamura a corn dog stand. Sayaka emits an "A?!" whilst Nakamura replies with an "O!" Nakamura pleasantly states that the stage was good and a lot of fun. Sayaka looks away and sweats. With a bit of a blush, she asks if he thought of something. He asks "what," and she continues, "No, so me and Kuroki-kun you know . . . that. . . ." Nakamura merely replies "Th-that was an ad-lib! It was so much fun!" Sayaka inwardly protests that that is not what she means, Nakamura does not think anything of it, that she and "Kuroki-kun" ki – but her thoughts are interrupted by him shoving his corn dog into her mouth in a manner that does not in any way suggest subtext.

While she munches, she blushes, and Nakamura slyly remarks, "It's on me, so eat." Sayaka, between munches, protests, "Haa? I don't want it!!" Nakamura replies that it is unbelievable that she is eating so much. Kiko watches this interaction with a smile. The next panel justifies Galleries: she smiles and imagines Nakamura petting a dog with Sayaka's eyes.

Not Shown: Subtext . . . goodness no!

The next panel depicts Sayaka leaving the bathroom with a determined smile as she holds her phone. To Shizuku's surprise, Kiko formally thanks her for her work on stage and adds that she was deeply moved. Sayaka emits an "E?!" then stammers her thanks. Kiko introduces herself as Tomoki's cousin. Sayaka apologizes for something that was unsightly, but Kiko insists that it was not. She then brightly claims that "older brother" was happy to see her like that. Sayaka blushes deeply and protests, "E?! Re-really?! Bu . . . but it bothers me to be told that, I mean. . . ."

Kiko smiles as she pictures in her mind waving a piece of meat in front of an excited Sayaka Puppy™. Sayaka continues to blush, sweats, looks away, then protests, "Because there's someone more suitable for Tomoki-kun than me. . . ." Kiko cheerfully insists that is her brother's choice. This evokes an "E?!" from Sayaka. Kiko adds that she is rooting for her, and for her next performance, "do your best please." Sayaka brightens and stammers her thanks.

Kiko walks away with her smile with Shizuku looking at her confused. Sayaka similarly watches her leave. Yet, in her mind, Kiko imagines her younger self leaving the meat for a Happy Sayaka Puppy.

Line of Sight (視線・shisen)

Alone, Tomoki walks the corridor. He passes Kiko and Shizuku. As he does, he notices Kiko silently smiling. For a brief moment – one panel – he stares in shock as she looks away and smiles brightly. Faceless, he watches the two continue down the hallway.

Outside the classroom, Kotomi stands waiting with Hikari behind her. With his "prince jacket" now on his shoulders, Tomoko sits on a crate. Behind him, a Totally-Not-Disney Princess Akari regards him. The next panel focuses on her concerned expression. On his other side, Evil-Step-Sister Sayaka checks her hair in her mirror. She notices Tomoki and blushes very deeply. Director Glasses-Chan checks her script and asks Track Suit Twin Tails-Chan what they should do about the "prank scene" from before. Track Suit Twin-Tails-Chan looks down and to the side with some irritation as she rhetorically asks, "Well, normally it's the Prince and Princess kissing scene isn't it?" They both turn to look down on Tomoki, sitting on his crate, with his I'm in PAIN face. Track Suit Twin-Tails-Chan remarks, "No longer a prince but a regular guy. . . ."

"Scary. . . ." Director Glasses-Chan replies.

Characters

• Kiko Satozaki
• Shizuku Hirasawa
• Suzuki
• Wada
• Kakinuma
• Hirotaka (Corpulent Otaku)
• Shiki Futaki
• Koharu Minami
• Kayo
• Miyazaki
• Miho Narita
• Fūka Sasaki
• Akane Okada
• Yoshinori Kiyota
• Hina Nemoto
• Yuri Tamura
• Tomoko Kuroki
• Tomoki Kuroki
• Sachi Mima
• Emiri Uchi
• Asuka Katō
• Sayaka Yoda
• Nakamura
• Kotomi Komiyama
• Hikari Itō
• Akari Iguchi
• Track Suit Twin Tails-Chan
• Director Glasses-Chan

Referbacks

• "A Yuri thirsty for bragging to be connected Tomoki": while it's not rare to see Yuri bragging others about her relationship with Tomoko, and if well it's technically correct in this case, it's becoming a trend to see Yuri having done or seen things related to Tomoki, beginning to Hina in Chapter 205, to Mako in Chapter 219, and now to Hina again by LINE.
• "Onee-chan loves you too, Tomo-kun": canonically and chronologicaly speaking, the first person seen calling Tomoki by 'Tomo-kun' was Tomoko in Volume 1 Omake, seen when Mrs. Kuroki was playing an old home video where Tomoko and Tomoki appeared as little kids.
• "A too convenient altered perception of reality": it's not been seen much along the series, but when Tomoki is cornered with or about people to whom he considers of his disliking, he feigns ignorance about knowing the topic or the people of his discomfort, as seen in the back cover from Volume 6, when a classmate asked him if he had an older sister.
• "That's No Way to Treat an Otaku . . . a Hina!": Tomoki behaves rudely toward Hina in Chapter 214-3.
• "A pineapple who stands firmly": if well being and upperclasswoman plays a factor in favor of her, Akane has no hesitation and shows no fear by confronting people after seeing how they misbehaves, as seen previously toward Masaki in chapters 118 and 129.
• "Mr. Normal is obsessed with finding normality": in chapters 123, when Tomoki went to class 3-5 to pick his lunch, he met many of Tomoko's friends and classmates, which he assumed all the crazy girls were grouped there, a perception that was supported by many experiences lived during lunch time at cafeteria and summer break. This assumptiong got up to the point that when Tomoki met Sachi, this asked her what class she's from, and when she replied she's from class 3-4, Tomoki assumed she's normal. Therefore, when Tomoki was called out by Akane for being rude on Hina, he thought it was rare to see a senpai speaking normally for once.
• "Kuroki Siblings can see through your mask, Nemo": if well Hina likes to play the chūnibyō trope of talking like she was an anime character, she reacts quite awkward when others call her out for it and deem her as an otaku, which Tomoko did in 144, and now it's Tomoki the other added to the list.
• "Don't put me in the same category as those people": even if she already showed her true self on 3rd year introduction, Hina still reacts freaked before idea of others assuming she's an otaku, a trait which she showed in her middle school on Volume 15 Special Edition, where when she feared her old classmates assume she was a fujoshi like Kamata and Yamaguchi, she just chose to join along in their mock about them, which made those two otaku girls saw her as a betrayer. This time, Hina does something similar once Tomoki accused her of being an otaku who does of everything she says a performance, which Hina shielded herself by saying she was not like Tomoko, not so much of an otaku; however, this reaction of denial caused big awkwardness in Yoshinori and Akano who were with her in that moment.
• "Boring is Tomoki's second name": at least three people along the series have perceived or claimed Tomoki to be boring, beginning with Tomoko, who said it openly to Kotomi in chapter 54, next with Hikari in 159, after seeing him in soccer practice, and now Kiko does, where it's stated before the kiss scene in the play, that she found him boring.
• "About how me and Kuroki-kun ki...": after an accident caused mainly by Tomoki's hands, Sayaka kissed him on stage in 217-3.
• Dog Day Afternoon: "ATTICA!! ATTICA!!! CHIBA!!" The last time Kiko has treated someone like a dog, it was Tomoko in Chapter 60. Tomoko recognizes this. This time around Sayaka is her unfortunate victim, and unlike last time where Tomoko's making an assumption, this time around we actually get to see Kiko imagine someone as a dog. Interestingly, Kiko imagines herself as younger as she is.

Cultural References

• "Respect upperclassmen students, or pay the price": Japanese culture takes too seriously the respect and polite way to polite to seniors, reason for which Tomoko reacted to pissed off after interacting Sayaka in Chapter 95, and now Akane does toward Tomoki for how he talked to Hina in this chapter.

Trivia

• "You Spin Me, Round, Round, Emiri, Round, Round!": Avoiding the obvious "use the Force," joke centripetal versus centrifugal has become one of those controversies. Since WataMote Wiki knows the Noble Readership collectively slept thought elementary school:
  • Centripetal is the Force: no bacteria involved! That linkypoo contends that centrifugal force is not a force, but just a feeling. However:
  • Depends on Your Frame: that linkypoo quotes an actual physicist, rather someone typing in ALL CAPS on the internet: "Centripetal force and centrifugal force are really the exact same force, just in opposite directions because they're experienced from different frames of reference." The linkypoo clarifies: "If you are observing a rotating system from the outside, you see an inward centripetal force acting to constrain the rotating body to a circular path. However, if you are part of the rotating system, you experience an apparent centrifugal force pushing you away from the center of the circle, even though what you are actually feeling is the inward centripetal force that is keeping you from literally going off on a tangent." That linkypoo also recommends this nice video explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLgy6rVV-08
• Timelines: The parts take place at different periods right after the performance:
  • Sex Actress takes place either before or most likely after Sachi and Tomoki's ride . . . in the cup.
  • Guide obviously takes place after the performance either before or after Sachi riding [with – Ed.] Tomoki.
  • Dog Species takes place right after Sayaka cheering up and vowing to do her best for the performance. Interestingly, that is when she returned Akari's tease about stealing boys.
  • Line of Sight since he is without Sachi, this suggests they separated after walking the hallway after their date ride. He has a play to do; she wants to talk to Mako about him. This means Sayaka and Akari had their conversation after the play while Tomoki and Sachi had their date ride.

Memorable Moments

• "Is 50 shades of Hina Nemoto born?": along the series, together with her desire of living an slice-of-life anime-like school life, combined to her chūnibyō behavior, and even more after she revealed to be an otaku in 122, Hina seems to find a strange fascination, for not to say fetish, in seeing how people get out of the norm and retort her in a impolite and brash way, as seen by first time from Tomoki in 126, after she didn't took in a good way her mock comment, later in 130.5, from Yuri, when this replied her that if well she didn't hate her, she didn't like her either, and now, this 'masochistic' reaction is seen because Tomoki, when he in a rude way pretends to not know her.
• Sherlock Kuroki and Dr. John Katō: work with WataMote Wiki here. Does Tomoko seem to notice that Emiri wants to be with her and reversed the wheel to get her to press against her?
• "Bite Me . . . Corn Dog!": Sayaka clearly has a crush on Nakamura, and the subtext is obvious. Nakamura is teasing Sayaka over her crush. She might have kissed Tomoki, but she is sucking on eating his beer can corn dog. WataMote Wiki needs a moment. That aside, consider Sayaka's return of Akari's tease: if you do not act, I might take him. So, Nakamura, if you just tease Sayaka, she just may go after Tomoki.
• "Why so serious, onii-chan?": if well there's no real proof about her being a psycho, the truth is that Kiko is behaving in ways that freaks others around her out, something that has been seen mainly in Tomoko along the series, but other characters can also feel a strong aura of discomfort when interacting with her, as seen in Makaki on Chapter 142, the first time she met her, and even Tomoki ended up showing big fear at seeing or having the idea that Kiko was in his school. Also, when there's no way that Kiko is aware of current plot of big amount of girl interested in Tomoki, or if she actually believes Sayaka feels something for him and she really wanted to encourage her, the other real fact is that Kiko's intervention made tenser what it was already a very tense mood.

Quotes

• "In the theater, Tomoko's younger brother kissed. Nemoto-san didn't see, though." – Yuri Tamura in text to Hina Nemoto
• "Tomo-kun I heard! You kissed on stage! Smooth, huh! . . . with whom. . . ?" – Hina to Tomoki Kuroki
• "I heard it all about it, Tomo-kun, you got kissed on stage pretty smooth... so, who was it with? " – Hina Nemoto
• "I've never been verbally abused to this extent by a boy, let alone someone younger than me." – Hina inwardly about Tomoki
• "OI! You're a second year, damn it! What's with that way of speaking?" – Akane Okada scolding Tomoki
• "This guy is really good! A man who is just kind to a woman who rubs him regardless of whether the woman is trash." – Sachi Mima inwardly about Tomoki
• "You're so open and direct, you get into people's dirty places, and your every line and gesture is so otaku and acting-like that I don't want to talk to you anymore." – Tomoki to Hina
  • "No, unlike Kuro, I don't really feel like an otaku." – Hina
• "To be strongly criticized feels good, doesn't it? Isn't hearing something that would never be said in normal conversation exciting?" – Hina
• "Well, let the fun adventure begin!" – Emiri Uchi to Tomoko and Asuka Katō
• "Turn it the other way or we'll die." – Emiri giving important safety instructions to Tomoko and Asuka without any secondary intentions . . . goodness no!
• "You know . . . didn't you think something?" – Sayaka Yoda
  • "What?" – Nakamura
  • No, so me and Kuroki-kun you know . . . that. . . ." – Sayaka
  • "Th-that was an ad-lib! It was so much fun!" – Nakamura
  • "No, it's not that. Nakamura doesn't think anything of it! Me and Kuroki-kun ki . . . NNN!!?" – Sayaka inwardly
  • "It's on me, so eat it." – Nakamura
  • "Haa? I don't want it!!" – Sayaka
  • "Impressive! Your eating so much, right?" – Nakamura
• "Because there's someone more suitable for Tomoki-kun than me. . . ." – Sayaka

Gallery

Original Art from Nico Tanigawa's Gallery

Shown: "Just as Planned!"

Not Shown: Psychopathy