(L) Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e

[NeutralZero]

So no love for horikita in this scenario then?

[blitz1/2]

Originally Posted by NeutralZero

So no love for horikita in this scenario then?

There is Sudou already.

[Lancelot]

I thought Sakura would be a love interest after Volume 2 but that did not happen, so for now I'll stay out of the discussion. Of course it has the question of popularity, but I think in the end Ichinose will end up as a friend.

[Cinnamon]

Since I can't post summaries or such anymore I'll just put forth some of my thoughts about v9.

I often see people say it's an Ichinose-centered volume, and they are right. Though it's a bit more mixed than just a simple: Ichinose gets a volume like Kei got with v4 or v7.

Spoiler for v9 random thoughts:

What we got from Ichinose is an outsiders version of her story, a spectator as we never get to see how she feels herself or what others feels about her.

The biggest reason for that is how the story is told to us from Kiyopon's point of view. We see the events happen in the book, then right at the end, it jumps back in time and he tells us about the secret dealings in the background. Thus the climax of the story ends up being, hollow, a summary of events happening to Ichinose from Kiyopon's view which I don't think was executed that well due to that backtracking. She really did deserve more. The volume is on the shorter side and maybe the deteriorating health of Kinugasa is to blame for how rushed this volume felt?

The reason he "helps" her with her problems, he doesn't need to do much really, I think is due to their friendship. She has been his ally and "rival" from the beginning so he knows she is more than capable to sort it out herself, she just needed a little nudge in the right direction. She probably reminded him of people he knew his past so maybe that's why?

What's funny is that he didn't really need to help her, he didn't need to bother with her, and truthfully, he couldn't help her at all. Except he got a little "gift" from Arisu and Kamuro, the crucial hint to solve the case. It was also a bait, used to lure him towards a duel with Arisu and more troublesome days in the future. And he knew it.

Yet he still took the bait and played along. His own justifications for it were things like: To expel Kushida and to know how much she knows, but it feels flat, like it's an excuse he thought up to convince himself Ichinose was worth helping, just like with Kei.

So as you all probably know, despite how he says he wants to be on the winning side: living a normal live, he always end up in more trouble due to his decisions. In v2, we get so see a side of him we don't really see much later and I think that hint is the strongest hint to who his real motivation: He describes himself as having cried many many times in the past, he dislikes his analytic and calculated self and he came to this school to stay far away from schemes and all those things.

Spoiler for Last lines of v2:

«Ah——»

I involuntarily let out a sound.
… I sure am an idiot.
What am I getting excited for? Analysing class D and theorising.
Didn’t I choose this school because I hated doing precicely that?
The one aiming for the top is Horikita, not me.
I just want to life a normal and peaceful life.
If not —— that would be bad.
Because I know myself the best.
How defective, foolish… and how frightening I can be.

I think he sees himself in the people that is having a hard time at school. Sakura for being shy, Kei for being bullied and suffering, Ichinose for being unable to talk about herself and I think they remind him of himself or someone else in the White Room. In v9, the last one was perhaps the one Kinugasa wanted to focus on.

As we know now after v9, there were indeed children in the White Room who got crushed, but not by the WR itself, but by their own inability to express themselves, never to return back again. It's a bit vague and I think it's psychologically and the exact term is "unable to reboot, start up again". They were all defeated by their own suppressed feelings.

Spoiler for Ichinose reminded him of the WR children:

The feelings I tried to convey to her must have reached her little by little.
What followed was a slight silence.

It's tough when you don't have anyone listening to you during the moments where you want to unleash all your feelings the most.

I’ve seen countless of such children in the White Room.
In the end, they get crushed by themselves and disappear. To never rise up again.

That's maybe why Kiyopon uses his scheming to help people anyway. Sure, he did all those things at the beginning due to Chabashira threatening him, but now that he knows he doesn't need to do it due to Papayanagi, he intended to just stay quiet. But he still stuck up for Kei and Ichinose and the reason? I don't think he himself knows. But there has to be a reason since he said he hates scheming and such, something worth sacrificing his own quiet life he wanted and do the scheming he disliked so much.

[LG-MAX 2.o]

Thank you Cinnamon, I'm sending you a kiss.

Kiyopon is really a contradictory character, maybe in the end he likes to make schematics, but deny it? or is he just a tsundere?

[Jord]

For what it seems, Kiyotaka knows he can be a frightening guy but at the same time he's looking for a way to let all that aside and get a normal life. Maybe all what he's doing in the school is to achieve that goal, being a normal guy but the circumstances are pushing him to keep using his abilities in a despicable way, at least he can really see his own problems and trauma reflected on other people's lifes.

Maybe at the end of the day the same people he use for his own benefit are the ones allowing him to grow and face his problems. I expect some serious developments on future volumes showing a more "human" side, we got a glimpse of that with Kei's arc and v9.

[MK-95-]

Originally Posted by LG-MAX 2.o

Thank you Cinnamon, I'm sending you a kiss.

Kiyopon is really a contradictory character, maybe in the end he likes to make schematics, but deny it? or is he just a tsundere?

Originally Posted by Cinnamon

Yet he still took the bait and played along. His own justifications for it were things like: To expel Kushida and to know how much she knows, but it feels flat, like it's an excuse he thought up to convince himself Ichinose was worth helping, just like with Kei.

That's maybe why Kiyopon uses his scheming to help people anyway. Sure, he did all those things at the beginning due to Chabashira threatening him, but now that he knows he doesn't need to do it due to Papayanagi, he intended to just stay quiet. But he still stuck up for Kei and Ichinose and the reason? I don't think he himself knows. But there has to be a reason since he said he hates scheming and such, something worth sacrificing his own quiet life he wanted and do the scheming he disliked so much.

Firstly, Thanks Cinnamon. This is the most in-depth and detailed explanation I've seen of vol 9 thus far. Even if it's just your own thoughts, it's still plenty helpful.

As for the parts of your post and LG-MAX 2.o's post that I quoted, it reflects exactly what I was saying the other day.

Originally Posted by MK-95-

Ofc, we also know that if he does betray her, then it makes all of his character development up to now pointless. He's been shown to be cold, cruel, ruthless and calculating. That's what he was taught in the white room, him attending school is his gateway to a normal life and also the key to him developing normal emotions that every person should have and feel. Hence the few instances where he's helped people or saved someone and later tried to reason with himself why would he even bother doing so in the first place. (My personal fave is when he saved Karuizawa from Ryuuen and Co. and tried to play it off as 'she's extremely useful as a tool' then admitting to himself shortly afterwards that excuse is a secondary concern.)

50%'s on the path to normalcy, but his logical/analytical mind still needs to be convinced or reasoned with as to why he does some of the things he's been doing lately. That's why, even tho he still views people as pawns, he won't just abandon those who he's come to acknowledge or cares about. There were a couple close calls with Karuizawa, but he ultimately didn't leave her out to dry.

However, the moment he abandons someone he genuinely considered a friend or comrade, is the moment all of his character development up to now becomes pointless.

[iBeast]

Are there any official translations available whatsoever?

I appreciate the fan contributing translations... but damn are they difficult to follow. I don't even know who's talking half the time.

[LG-MAX 2.o]

I think it's a matter of practice, I do not have this problem though, but of course, if you're talking about vol 3 it's normal that since it was mistranslated.

[Cinnamon]

Originally Posted by iBeast

Are there any official translations available whatsoever?

I appreciate the fan contributing translations... but damn are they difficult to follow. I don't even know who's talking half the time.

That's the result when translators just translate the sentences and don't adapt the fact that in Japanese, they way someone uses certain words, a certain grammar structure, a certain sentence ending, a certain use of a particle can reflect who is saying what, in what manner etc.

The sentences below are examples where the ending can tell us more about the speaker. Translating this to English can be a challenge.

Everything below can be translated as simply: "Hey, what do you mean?"

おい、どう言うこと? - (Neutral, a bit forceful)

あら、どう言うこと かしら? (Soft, feminine, a bit of self-wonder)

ねえ、どう言うこと かなかな? (Feminine, self-wonder, quite childish)

This can be a bit confusing at times as the translators know perfectly well who is saying what and sometimes forget that the readers can't.

I've done that myself so I know how easy it is to just forget to add "she/he said" to make it clear who said what. Some translators do put the character speaking in parenthesis to make it clear though.

[Xero8420]

Speaking of being a contradicting character, I would say Kiyopon is essential being EMIYA. As much as he hates to do what he hate to do, but he had to do it out with necessity to fulfill his own end. Just like EMIYA, who had to scheme all his way to erase his own younger naive self's existence.

Come to think of it...

Spoiler:

Could there be a possibility that Ichinose was among those WR washouts?

[Rnzlr]

Guys, I've just read a synopsis of Volume 9. The rumor about compensated dating is truth or lie? I can't imaging Ichinose being a slut but it's japanese light novel so you never know xD

[readher]

Originally Posted by Rnzlr

Guys, I've just read a synopsis of Volume 9. The rumor about compensated dating is truth or lie? I can't imaging Ichinose being a slut but it's japanese light novel so you never know xD

Spoiler for Rumor:

Lie. She only stole a hairpin for her sister since her family was poor.

[Rnzlr]

Originally Posted by readher

Spoiler for Rumor:

Lie. She only stole a hairpin for her sister since her family was poor.

Spoiler for spoiler:

So she really is this kind of person and not two-faced bitch like Kushida. Ok, thank you.

[LG-MAX 2.o]

Originally Posted by Rnzlr

Guys, I've just read a synopsis of Volume 9. The rumor about compensated dating is truth or lie? I can't imaging Ichinose being a slut but it's japanese light novel so you never know xD

well, if one day she gets attacked by T-REX, she might turn into a slut, though.

[Anemya]

Originally Posted by LG-MAX 2.o

well, if one day she gets attacked by T-REX, she might turn into a slut, though.

let's just hope that the author didn't do that, cause I think it will ruin the novel, but what do you mean by t-rex?

[LG-MAX 2.o]

Originally Posted by Anemya

let's just hope that the author didn't do that, cause I think it will ruin the novel, but what do you mean by t-rex?

well, on Volume 8 it was revealed that 50% and Kounji are superhumans on the bottom, and their "tool" was dubbed T-REX.

According to some spoilers, in the vol 9 Hashimoto says that an inexperienced girl would not be able to satisfy 50% since he is very big.

[MK-95-]

Originally Posted by LG-MAX 2.o

well, on Volume 8 it was revealed that 50% and Kounji are superhumans on the bottom, and their "tool" was dubbed T-REX.

According to some spoilers, in the vol 9 Hashimoto says that an inexperienced girl would not be able to satisfy 50% since he is very big.

That gets a chuckle outta me every time. What made it funny is how unexpected it was for something like that to happen and it's even funnier when you think about how deadpan 50% is all the time. XD

Personally, this is the funniest scene for me in the story, with the boys' operation to peep on the girls back in vol 4.5 being second.

[dark44]

his father didnt make any new moves yet can he enroll some frist year from white room to cause expulsion to him ?

[Amami]

Originally Posted by dark44

his father didnt make any new moves yet can he enroll some frist year from white room to cause expulsion to him ?

I heard that someone called Kiyotaka sayd his full name and then just hanged up, could be connected to his father, the caller had a young voice. Not sure if this is true tho.