Old AV Room
Hey...
How did you change yourself, Tomozaki?
Me?
I'm not good at, like, getting along with people.
Well, in my case...
Oh, right.
Hang on a sec.
Something wrong?
Nothing.
Um, in my case, I practiced my expressions, posture, and the way I talked.
In the past, I didn't emote much,
I slouched all the time,
and I always mumbled.
The epitome of socially awkward.
But you sound so cheerful now, and your whole vibe has changed.
Oh... you think so?
Still got a weird way of getting embarrassed, though!
I haven't worked on that yet...
But I think the very first thing you should do is figure out exactly where you are.
Where I am?
What do you mean?
Well, you see...
You still laugh weird, too! It's creepy!
I have to agree...
Okay, that should be enough.
Still got a weird way of getting embarrassed, though!
I haven't worked on that yet...
But I think the very first thing you should do
Hey! I've been bugged!
Wait—just listen. Tama, c'mon—
is figure out exactly where you are.
Where I am? What do you mean?
Well, you see...
You still laugh weird, too! It's creepy!
How was that?
I'm pretty harsh, huh?
Right!
The way a person talks might not be exactly how they picture it.
Once you know how you talk, maybe you'll figure out how you can change it.
Maybe so...
Okay! I'll give it my best shot!
2nd Stage: Lv. 3 Battles are better when you're against someone whose signature move is the opposite of yours
Okay,
lift the corners of your mouth.
Now run through the vowels.
Okay! See how that feels?
Uh-huh!
You catch on quick. That's our Tama!
Yay!
Think you can practice on your own?
Woo!
You're really good. Better than me, even.
Eh?!
You're fully proficient.
Hey! You haven't taught me anything yet!
Yeah, but... your basic ability is way beyond mine.
I don't think your expressions or the way you talk
are what's keeping you from getting along in class.
Then what could it be?
Hmm...
Maybe try not arguing with Konno for a while?
Got it.
Tama!
Sorry I kept you!
Hey...
Tomozaki, too?
What? Why?
Um, well... this and that...
Aoi's not with you?
She'll have her hands full with student council stuff for a while.
So, Brain,
what exactly is going on here, hmm?
Oh... er...
It-It's just...
Sewing Room 2
You're dead set against changing Tama, right?
I told you, didn't I? There's nothing wrong with Tama.
So she shouldn't change.
Even if she wants to?
That's what she told me:
the situation is making Mimimi sad, so she wants to change herself.
That's what she wants to do—loud and clear.
I see.
I'd like you to help her, if it's possible.
If Hanabi changes, none of this matters.
Hinami...
On that day,
the mood in the classroom shifted a little.
This had always been where Konno and Tama would start up their squabbling,
and the class's mood would take a nosedive.
Yes!
Old AV Room
Great job, Tama! You really restrained yourself.
Uh-huh. It's frustrating,
but I know there are more important things.
At this rate, though, things might not get worse,
but they won't get dramatically better, either.
Yeah... I guess not.
Now to create an atmosphere that'll make the rest of the class take your side.
I just don't know what they're all thinking.
I kinda know what Konno is thinking, but...
The rest of the class? It's a total mystery.
Right...
"Mood" and "flow" sure are tough.
For you, too?
I've started to understand them a little lately,
but it took me about five months to get to this point.
We probably don't have that kind of time.
Right.
We need some kind of big game-changing move
that'll flip everything on its head in a short span of time.
But we'll need help.
Well, well, you two! In a bit of a pinch, are you?
Mizusawa?
I knew it, Fumiya.
You are secretly up to something, after all.
Wh-What do you mean?
I thought you two might be scheming, so I kept an eye on you.
This is about Erika's harassment, isn't it?
Uh... yes. It is, actually.
Hit the nail on the head!
You been holding up okay?
I'm fine.
Oh, am I a third wheel here?
It's not that.
Wait, did you specifically drop by to see how we were doing?
Eh, you know.
If you're going to stand up to Erika,
shouldn't you have a slightly shady character like me in the mix?
Say...
You and Nakamura don't really get along with Tama, do you?
And there it is.
Well, she's like you—so that's good.
See...
Tama won't bend, right?
And Shuji and Erika are both boss types, so they're like oil and water with her.
They had this huge blow-up fight and dragged me and Takei into it...
I took Shuji's side, so I can see why I'd come off badly to her.
So... yeah.
Anyway, if you need any help,
I'll be around.
Later.
Hang on, Mizusawa!
I know what we have to do first!
Tama, as of today, your task will be...
"Make friends with Mizusawa"!
Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki S2
Old AV Room
Aha...
Practice for getting along with the rest of the class, eh?
And you want me to be her study partner.
Yeah.
I think one reason she can't integrate herself well
has to do with putting up emotional barriers and becoming unbendable.
This could be the first step to cracking that shell.
Okay. I'll lend a hand—for you, Fumiya.
The rest is up to Tama.
I'll give it a shot!
We've never properly talked like this, have we?
You're right...
Do you hate me like you hate Shuji?
I've seen you hanging out with Nakamura and saying a lot of mean things about me.
Is that so... Mean things, huh.
I don't like that, so I've been avoiding you.
Avoiding—
Huh.
Hey, Fumiya, she's got you beat in the bluntness department.
You ain't seen nothin' yet.
Seriously?
Okay, so... it does sound like you hate me, then.
But, I mean, I can't know what kind of person you are
if I don't try talking to you first.
Hmm. In that case, is there anything you want to ask me?
Not really.
I had a feeling.
Oh—there is one thing I've wondered about.
Yeah? Hit me.
Do you like Aoi?
T-Tama!
Are the rumors true?
Aoi is so full of secrets... I can't help but wonder.
Hmm...
Sure, I like her.
So it's true?!
As a friend.
Oh.
I see... You're into love and romance, huh?
N-No I'm not!
There's no one you like?
No! And I wouldn't tell you if I did!
Ah, so there is someone. Who is it?
Hey!
Don't go thinking I'm interested in someone!
Hmm...
After-school strategy meetings... Just the two of you...
Pretty fishy.
No, it isn't! And it would never be Tomozaki, anyway!
Y-You don't have to deny it quite so vehemently...
I-I'm sorry!
No, no. I get it.
Man, you two are a riot!
Tama!
I'm here!
Oh, Takahiro's with you today?
Yo.
Why? What's going on here?!
What?
I see! They're both protecting you, eh?
Aren't you the smooth operator, Tama!
A beauty on each arm!
Is it still "a beauty" when it's two guys?
I don't think so.
It's not?! Then what is it?
A knight on each arm? Something like that.
That might work for you,
but I don't see myself as a beauty or a knight.
Not that again! C'mon, you can be plenty cool.
Have some confidence for once, wouldya?!
S-Sure...
It makes me all sad to see you down on yourself all the time.
I was kind of thinking that too.
Yeah, you do tend to do that, Fumiya...
I-I do, huh?
Okay, Brain! Minami Nanami expects great things from you!
I'll do my best...
Wait—why are we talking about me?!
Okay, we're headed home.
You two are staying?
We've got work after this.
And some time to kill.
Thanks for today.
Sure.
See you tomorrow.
So anyway...
I'm glad Tama stopped fighting with Erika. It's the right move.
If she kept that up, she'd practically be giving the class free reign to come after her.
And all it takes is a shallow excuse for "attacks" to become "punishment."
You see that a lot online.
So what's the next move?
You're making headway in character creation,
are you thinking of ways to break down the walls she's put up
between her and the rest of the class?
Mmm, it'd be nice to come up with a cut-and-dried way to make it all better...
The key is being able to get in a lot of practice
in a setting where it's okay to fail.
True enough. Gotta have that safety net.
Should I invite Takei next time?
Takei?
She can mess up with him as much as she wants.
Oh!
Takei Read: Right Takei: I'm off to bed!! Read: OK
I'll let him know.
But you gotta keep things simple with Takei.
I'll just say we want him to cheer Tama up.
And don't tell Shuji.
Tama plus Shuji equals conflict waiting to happen.
We're better off keeping our support for Tama under wraps.
Ooh, right.
I could wind up with a target on my back just for helping out like this.
You're something else, Mizusawa.
What d'you mean?
It's just... you're a good guy.
You can do everything, but you're never mean.
I don't know about that.
You'll find that I'm actually quite the schemer.
R-Really?
Like how I came to check on you two earlier.
I did it in part because I was hoping Aoi would be there.
Me, I'm just another guy doing what he wants.
A certain someone once told me that was the way to go.
Oh...
I mean,
even if what you're doing goes against my own policy,
I don't have the right to stop you.
This is about trying to change Tama, right?
If it's what Hanabi herself wants, my hands are tied.
All I can do is see my own methods through.
We'll suspend these meetings for the time being.
They'll resume once the situation has improved.
Konno's harassment continued as usual that day.
Bumping into Tama's desk,
trash-talking Tama with her minions so as to be overheard...
And Tama kept on putting up with it.
The class's mood became even more sympathetic toward her.
But what had me even more curious...
was what Hinami was doing.
During every break period, she'd casually chat with Mao Kamimae,
one of Konno's girls.
Takei said he'd join us after soccer practice.
He's a real dum-dum, so don't feel too uptight around him.
In some ways, he's a little like you.
What? We're nothing alike!
No, he's right.
Don't take his side!
He says exactly what's on his mind. I'm the same way, too.
But you know...
Takei's always been a key member of our class.
What's so different between him and us?
Could be any number of things, but a big one
is whether the group is used to you.
Used to...?
Remember when we were choosing our sports tournament event,
and Takei wanted to do soccer?
Everyone just rolled with it all, "Oh, this idiot again."
But with Tama...
Right... Even though she was just naming her choice of event too...
the mood got a little weird when she did it.
Yeah, and Minmi came to my rescue.
Takei has this certain charm, right?
And that's a big part of his character.
But Tama can be a little prickly, and her charm doesn't come across.
I'm not sure about all that...
How am I supposed to be charming?
Charm is about having a consistent vulnerability.
A consistent vulnerability?
For example... let's see...
Liking cheese too much, say.
Ah!
Like Aoi?
She's very obvious about her lust for cheese: innocent,
but with an almost exaggerated zeal.
The people around her say, "Oh, that Aoi," and it becomes part of her charm.
I see...
I wonder if she does that on purpose.
Who can say?
Either way, it's food for thought, right?
Sorry!
I'm so—
late!
See? All charm, this one.
Sorry, Tama!
I wish I could've done something to help!
Thanks for thinking of me, though.
I wanted to stop her, but I didn't have the guts.
I get that. Konno's scary!
She sure is!
But I think you're totally in the right here, Tama.
Oh, yeah? Thanks.
Don't thank me! I'm apologizing here!
It's fine, it's fine!
At least you've got people in your corner!
Me, Yuko... Sakura was worried about you, too!
Yuko? Sakura?
Yuko Ueda and Sakura Kashiwazaki.
Heck, even Mao was just telling Erika, "Rein it in, girl!"
Um...
Who's Mao?
Mao! Mao Kamimae, Erika's pal!
Really?
Really!
Can I ask you something, Tama?
What is it?
You're not really interested in your classmates, are you?
Their names weren't ringing any bells.
I was the same way.
I couldn't care less about any of them.
But once I started talking with all sorts of people,
I saw that they all had their own thoughts and concerns.
I gradually started taking an interest in people other than myself,
and found myself wanting to know specific things about them.
I noticed that simply asking those questions led to natural conversations.
That's why I do think it's good to practice a cheerful speaking style,
but more than that, I realized it's important to take an interest in others
and work on accepting them.
Yeah...
If I don't care about my classmates...
I can't get along with them.
Whoa... that was awesome!
Go, Army Boy-—Tomozaki!
Tama!
I'm here!
Wait...
Now Takei is in the mix?!
You got that right!
Huh? What's all this?
It's Team Tomozaki, meeting to do something about Tama's situation.
Wait, why is this my team?
You started this, didn't you? Our fearless leader.
Leader? I mean...
That's our Tomozaki! Brain and leader!
I don't need any more titles, thank you very much.
Are you thinking about changing, Hanabi?
Hmm? What's up, Aoi?
Oh, sorry. I was just curious.
I am thinking I'd like to change.
I see...
Do you think I'm better off not changing?
I... I don't want you to.
Maybe I just don't want to think that facing things head-on
is the wrong thing to do.
Hinami?
But I can't make that decision for you.
It's just what I want, that's all.
Thanks for your concern, Aoi.
But I've got Tomozaki and the others backing me up.
I think I'm going to give it a solid try.
I'm counting on you, okay? Just the tiniest bit, though.
There's that excessive honesty again.
I see. You are two peas in a pod.
You've got my support, too!
Thanks, Aoi!
As I watched Hinami, back to being our perfect heroine,
a thought popped into my head:
Maybe the expression Hinami revealed when she took off her mask
was just another mask after all.