360° Material [Chapter 9-10]

Summarized by: Sarah

Chapter 9: After That Valentine...
The chapter begins with Taki hurrying back to Mio, who is still waiting at the train station. (He sent her an email saying that he was on his way back in the meantime.) He spots her and starts to apologize, but pulls back when he sees the angry look on her face. She asks him, A or B, which of these two options was Miwa-san's issue: A, an emergency; or B, anything else? Caught off guard, Taki answers B... and Mio turns away, refusing to look at him. She remembers her decision before, about how this was really a problem if there was no emergency, and also that she's been waiting on him for an hour. He sits down next to her and she closes her eyes tightly and turns her head away from him, determined to stay angry. He asks her, “Mio... are you mad?” She answers yes, and he apologizes; what should he do? Mio thinks about that; it's not like she wanted him to ignore the call, but she was still anxious and sad. Her head is a mess inside, and she isn't sure exactly how to handle it. So, she asks him to reverse the situation: If they had plans together, but her ex-boyfriend called and she ran off to see him... Without a thought, Taki answers, “I'd hate it.” Then, he realizes that's what he just did, and Mio gives him a thoughtful look. Taki looks contritely at the ground, apologizing again. Perhaps... if something like this happens again, they could go together. Mio starts to agree, then realizes what he just said – it would be OK if they went together!? Taki explains that, if there had really been an accident, it would be better if there were more people, right? Mio sort of agrees, and Taki adds that, if they went together, there would be no reason to worry. Taki smiles a little, seeming pleased with his solution, and Mio thinks that he really doesn't seem like he has anything to feel guilty over (as far as what he actually did with Miwa). There doesn't seem to be any reason to doubt his intentions, but Miwa-san must still be an important person to him. Mio still feels like she needs to compete with her. Mio starts to get a little upset again, and Taki asks her if something is wrong. She looks up to tell him no, and notices how messed up his hair is. She asks him how that happened, and he starts trying to fix it, telling her that he isn't sure. Mio recalls how out of breath Taki was when he arrived, and realizes he must have been running as fast as he could to get back, causing his hair to get blown around. He continues trying to smooth it down, and Mio realizes that she can't stay mad. She tells him that the back still needs fixed, and leans forward to help, laughing. However, she loses her balance, and he catches her. Blushing a little, he tells her it's the opposite of last time (I guess referencing when she tried to keep him from falling off the chair in the last chapter). Mio says she's sorry, thinking that she got too preoccupied with Taki and lost her balance. He notices how cold her hands are and asks if she waited there the whole time. She says she did, and, looking regretful again, he apologizes for making her wait on him in the cold. Holding on to him, Mio thinks that it's all right – she isn't cold anymore.

The chapter flashes forward to them at Mio's house, and Mio is serving a check-patterned cake that she made. Taki is impressed by the design, and Mio tells him that she got the pattern right, but she's not sure about the taste. As Taki considers how it was made, Mio is pleased that he seems to be enjoying himself. He finally tastes it, and she's relieved when he tells her that it's good. Mio's mother arrives, apologizing for being late, and Mio is stunned by how much effort she's put into looking good. She explains that she thought she should look a little more stylish when meeting her daughter's boyfriend, while wondering if she may have gone a little overboard. Mio asks where her father is, and her mother tells her that he's still at work (Mio wonders if he's just avoiding this). Mio introduces her mother to Taki, and is a little surprised when he smiles and gives an extremely formal greeting. Her mother chuckles, then tells him that he seems cool and starts to press him about how he met Mio and when they became friends. Mio is concerned for how Taki is holding up, and the chapter moves forward to show Taki sitting tensely after his conversation with Mio's mother. Mio asks him if he's OK, having faced that long barrage of questions, and Taki says that he was nervous. Mio exclaims, “Even you can get nervous, Taki-kun!? I don't believe it!” Even him? Of course he does. Taki begins to explain that, on his way out this morning, Hanae-nee... Mio interrupts, and Taki explains that Hanae is his older sister. She's married and still lives in the neighborhood. Anyway, she told him that he needed to seem lively and give a proper greeting at his girlfriend's house, or else it might lead to a break-up. So, he was scared. Did he do all right? Seeing how uncharacteristically anxious he looks, Mio is a little amused. She reassures him that he was fine, while thinking that she didn't know that Taki-kun was thinking so much about this. It makes her a little happy to know that Taki gets nervous, just like her. Taki notices that Mio has put out one of the candles he gave her as a birthday gift, and she tells him that she still hasn't used any of them. (Note: I thought that these were actual desserts, because they never really referred to them as anything. So, until this chapter, I never paid attention, but zooming in on the display from chapter 6, the sign calls them “Sweet Aroma Candles.” Also, they clearly have wicks. Oops!) Why not? Because she didn't want to waste them. Taki frowns and reminds her that he got her two of each kind, and Mio protests that, if she burns it, the cute little strawberry will melt and look like a tomato. Blushing, she goes on to say that she doesn't want something she received from Taki to disappear, which he seems a little more affected by. Mio looks out the window and notices that it's getting dark out, and Taki asks if he can light the candle. Mio agrees, and they watch it burn. Mio dryly notes that, yep, the strawberry is completely losing its shape. Is it a tomato now? No, it's not even a tomato anymore; but, it's all right. Suddenly, Taki grabs Mio's hand, and tells her, “It won't disappear. Even if it loses its shape, it's all right. It will still be there.” Mio leans in and kisses him, thinking that she and Taki may be having the same feelings.

Meanwhile, at basketball practice, the other players on the team are commenting on how hard Marui has been playing at practice today. Marui tells him that he's trying to drive away idle thoughts, which receives some confused looks. Marui thinks that isn't really it; he's been playing his teammates to the point of exhaustion, and he's still concerned. He's running on pure emotions. The image of Mio crying creeps back into his mind, and he yells at them to give him the ball. His teammates, exhausted, tell him that practice is already over. One of them tells Marui that he's been pushing too hard, then complains that he's hungry. Someone notices the bag of candy that Marui got from Mio, and questions who the candy belongs to. He says he'll take one, and Marui tells him that it's his and snatches it back. He asks why he can't have just one – there are five or six of them in there! Does Marui like it that much? Hearing the word “like,” Marui turns red and starts to protest that he doesn't, shut up about it! His teammates are left confused, and the chapter continues forward to the next morning. Marui arrives at the train station, tired, and feels a hand on his shoulder. He turns to see Mio, smiling, telling him good morning. His expression changes from initial excitement, to disbelief, to being a little irritated. (He's thinking, “Seriously?”) Mio notes that it's rare to see him this early, and he tells her that he woke up early, for some reason. Mio thanks him again for yesterday, and he asks her how it went. She tells him that Taki came back after an hour, and that there was no emergency. Marui asks if they worked things out, and Mio smiles and says they did. No way... Mio explains that she tried to be mad, waiting on him, but a lot of what upset her were her own anxieties. Mio tells Marui that she felt at ease after he helped her realize that she could be upset with Taki and still work it out. Marui looks away and questions if he really did all that, then points out that Taki must have been surprised. He pulled away a bit, but they were able to patch things up. Marui tells Mio that he doesn't really understand, but he's happy for her. Mio smiles and thanks him again, and he forces himself to look away from her. As they ride the train, his eyes drift back to Mio, and he watches her fix the hair that's fallen into her face. Looking back out the window, he asks her why she gave him that for Valentine's Day. Because he's allergic to chocolate, right? No, she's right, but how did she know? Mio explains that she remembers in middle school that word got around that he was refusing everyone. Yeah, that's right. Laughing, Mio recalls that even with Marui's ex-girlfriend; the confession was OK, but he turned down her chocolates. Even though she worked so hard to make them!! Looking fairly upset, Marui tells her that he thought they were friends; why would she be involved in spreading gossip like that? Mio reassures him that she only heard about it by chance; but, why would he care so much? Marui tells her he doesn't, really... just female bonding or something, right?

As they continue to school, Mio and Marui run into Taki at the station. Mio stops, blushing, and Marui greets him. Marui starts to explain that he and Mio just happen to be together by chance, then notices that Taki is looking nervously at Mio and doesn't seem to notice him at all. As the two of them nervously greet each other, Marui turns and starts to walk away. Taki and Mio thank each other for yesterday, and Marui takes off running once he's out of the station. Mio tells Taki that her mother keeps talking about him and saying she should invite him over for dinner. Taki responds that her mother seemed cool, though, and Mio suddenly realizes that Marui (and everyone else) has left already. As she says that they better hurry, her hand brushes against Taki's. She apologizes, and when he asks her why, she just says, “My hand...” Taki interprets this as a request to hold hands, so he switches his bag to the other side and offers his hand to her. Mio thinks that wasn't what she was talking about, but it's fine. She accepts his hand, and they starts off towards school. Mio thinks that she feels secure like this; she may finally be getting a little more confident. Meanwhile, as Marui is running, one of the lollipops Mio gave him falls out of his pocket. He looks back at it, then turns away. Adjusting his earbuds, he thinks that it's no big deal. His mind is just playing tricks; if he ignores this feeling for three days, it will go away soon. He starts to walk away, but Shii stops him, handing him the lollipop he dropped. He turns his head away, and she asks him if he doesn't want it, then? Yuni jumps in, saying she'll take it. Marui says she can't have it, and takes it back. The chapter ends with him sadly clasping the lollipop in his hand.

Chapter 10: Make-up... Test...!?
The chapter begins with the teacher announcing that there will be a pop quiz. Mio thinks that this sucks; she wanted to bask in the glow of her Valentine's Day a little longer, but she only got a day. She looks at the quiz and realizes that it's the same problem Taki had been using as an example when he tutored her before. If she can remember how she did it then, she should be able to solve it. Everyone but Taki seems upset, and the teacher tells them to exchange their papers for grading. Mio and Marui both get zeroes, and the teacher yells at them as they look embarrassed. What happened to their motivation from the end of the last term!? Mio protests that she got all mixed up, and the teacher informs them that they'll be repeating if they don't do well enough on the end of the year exam. Afterwords, Mio sulks to her friends that, if she has to repeat, she'll wind up in the same class as Akane-chan. Shii tries to console her, telling her that she's giving up too soon. Taki asks to see her quiz, then tells her that he'll help her with anything she doesn't understand for the rest of the semester. (Shii and Yuni think that Taki's face seems to be glowing.) Mio explains that she feels pathetic for messing up on the same problem he taught her how to solve, and he tells her that she actually did the problem correctly. She seems to have messed up on the calculation. Mio is relieved, and Taki continues to reassure her that she'll be all right on the final exam. Yuni tells Shii-chan that, somehow, Taki's face is annoying her... Is he just a natural flirt? Yuni turns to ask Marui what he thinks, and realizes that he left the classroom. In the hall, Marui is thinking about how he won't have to switch classes next year. In the washroom, Yuni and Shii are questioning Mio about what she and Taki did at her house. Mio turns red and tells them nothing happened, but Yuni starts poking her until she admits that they kissed. She mumbles to them about how he told her the candle would burn but it wouldn't disappear, and it was the same thing she was thinking. Shii-chan tells Mio that she's glad; see, she told Mio it would be all right. Mio smiles, remembering Shii-chan's guarantee that Taki liked her, and thinks that it was effective after all. Then Mio thinks of something else, and asks Shii if she gave chocolate to any of the guys. Shii answers no; she only gave chocolate to girls. What brought that up so suddenly? Anyway, they were talking about Mio! As they walk back into the hall, Shii-chan is saying something about how she didn't think Taki would be someone who would just kiss Mio, and Yuni responds that it's good that wasn't the case. Mio tells them not to say that so loudly, and Taki is standing nearby. Yuni gives him a congratulatory pat on the arm, and Mio drags her off, apologizing. Taki recalls last night, and how Mio closed her eyes and leaned in to him. It was a surprise, but he went ahead and kissed her. Taki isn't sure why Yuni was doing that, but it probably wasn't about the kiss... Later, Mio sits down and thanks Taki for helping tutor her again. Yuni and Shii wish her luck on the way out, and Mio notices that Marui is just leaving. Mio asks him if he can afford not to study, but he tells her he'll look into it after basketball practice. Mio and Taki recall how eager he was to join them last time, and wonder if he'll be all right. Marui runs into someone from his club, who asks him why he looks so down. He says that he isn't depressed, while thinking he'd just be in their way if he studied with them now. Back in the classroom, Mio is nervous. What if she actually has to repeat? Taki gets started, going over the lesson from today, and listening to his soft, calm voice puts Mio at ease. He gets her to try the problem from the quiz again, and she realizes that her negative thoughts are going away, thanks to Taki. If she works hard, she's bound to get it right next time!

Later, at school, Marui is called up to solve a problem on the board. He does it incorrectly, and the teacher yells at him, telling him that it looks like at least one person will definitely be repeating. Mio and Taki are concerned, and Mio chases him down the stairs after school. Can he really afford to keep going to basketball practice instead of studying? He responds that he still has a while to study, and Mio gets serious, announcing that they'll study together. They have to avoid repeating, and attack this problem head-on! Marui gets a little flustered from her concern for him and turns away, asking if Taki is waiting on her. She tells him that Taki had to go to the staff room, but he appears in the hall as she's saying it. Mio runs up to Taki and tells him that Marui will be joining them, but Marui interrupts, saying he's fine. He tells them that he'll really sit down and study when he gets home, so there's no need to worry about him! He leaves, and Mio asks Taki if he thinks Marui will really be OK. Taki doesn't answer, just watching Marui leave with a worried look on his face. Once he's out of the building, Marui thinks that there's nothing else to do. If he joins them, he won't be able to concentrate, anyway. Then, his phone rings, and he gets a message from someone named Saitou, telling him that she has something to ask him after the term ends. As Marui tries to recall who that person is, his eyes drift back toward the school building and he sees Mio and Taki in the classroom. He blushes a little as he looks at Mio, then turns away with a sigh. His eyes settle on Akane, and he reacts with shock when he realizes who she is, yelling, “Wha...!? It's you!!” Remaining composed, Akane notes that even after what he said to her, here he is watching Nao and Ootaka-san in the window, sighing. Unrequited love, perhaps? Marui starts to stutter an objection, but Akane just says it was a joke. Marui claims knew that. So, why is Akane here? She had an assembly and some paperwork for students who will be entering next semester. Marui congratulates her on passing those tests, and she just responds that there was never any doubt. So, what does she want from him, anyway? She was wondering if he could take her to Nao's classroom. Marui explains that those two are studying right now, so... Expecting her to be more pushy, Marui is a bit surprised when Akane just replies that maybe she does remember him mentioning something about that, so she'll just go home. Recalling how enthusiastically she tried to get in the way before, Marui wonders if Akane has opened her heart to the couple. Before Akane can leave, one of Marui's teammates comes up, telling him he's late, then asks about Akane. Is she in middle school? Akane responds that she'll be attending their high school next year, and he tells her that she's pretty cute. Would she like to be the basketball club's manager next year? Akane bows, and tells him, “I refuse. Bye.” Marui chides him for his poor personnel-selection process, then calls out to Akane. She turns back, and he tells her that he said some things to her last time they met that he shouldn't have, without knowing her situation. So, he's sorry. He gives her a little smile, and she simply walks away.

The chapter skips forward to the teacher announcing that he's handing out the end of the year exams, then jumps directly to the results. Mio is ecstatic to see that she passed, but her celebration is cut short when she sees that Marui didn't. Their teacher tells him that this is great; he gets another year to try to get things into Marui's head! He just has one more chance at a retest... The girls all cheer Marui on – it isn't decided yet; with a little pain and some earnest studying, he can pass the retest. The next teacher comes in and gets them to take their seats, and Mio thinks that even after going to such lengths to pass, she doesn't feel relieved, because Marui failed. To everyone's surprise, the teacher informs them that the retest for all subjects will be tomorrow. No way! The other guys in the class tease Marui about repeating, and he tries to seem OK, but he rushes towards the exit looking upset. What can he possibly do? There's only time to try to memorize the formulas, and even that might not be enough. Before he can get away, Taki firmly grabs his shoulder. He sternly tells him, “Marui-kun, let's form a strategy for you to pass.” Marui nervously sits back down; Taki was too forceful to refuse. He notices that Mio isn't there, and thinks he might be able to focus if she isn't around. As he's wondering if Mio went home, the girl who sent him a message before, Saitou, comes in and asks Marui if it's a good time. Marui tells Taki that they had already arranged to meet, so he needs to excuse himself for a minute. (Taki is relieved, and heads for the toilet.) In the stairwell, Saitou tells Marui that she's been interested in him for a while. She heard he doesn't have a girlfriend now, and if he'd like, would he go out with her? Marui asks if he can think about it for a bit. To be honest, he has a make-up test tomorrow, and if he doesn't study it will be bad. She tells him that's fine; he can give her an answer after the test. She wishes him luck and they wave good-bye. On the way back to the classroom, Taki comes up behind him and asks if he's going to go out with that girl. Maybe... She expressed her feelings well, and seems like a good girl. But he doesn't like her? Marui tells him it's fine; even if he doesn't feel anything at first, he might later [if they go out]. Is that bad? Taki looks up and tells him it isn't bad, but he shouldn't push himself. Seeing how serious Taki looks. Marui wonders if he's actually that sharp. Is he suspicious...!? As Marui starts to ask what he means by “pushing himself,” Mio appears. Marui is surprised; didn't she already leave? Mio tells him that she just had something she needed to do, then turns the light on in the room. Did they just get started studying? (Taki: “Yes.” Marui: “...No.”) She and Taki smile at each other, and Mio tells Marui that she's glad. If Taki-kun helps, he'll definitely pass! Mio suggests that she might be able to help, too, and Marui smiles wryly. How can someone who barely passed herself have anything to offer? Right after saying it, Marui realizes that it was a mean thing to say; he starts to apologize, but Mio laughs it off. It's fine; she was just kidding. She doesn't want to look at another formula, anyway, so she's just going to go... As she rushes out of the room, Marui thinks that it looks like Mio is crying. Feeling guilty, he puts his head in his hands and thinks, “I should just die.” On her way home, Mio rationalizes that even with Taki helping, there's no guarantee Marui will pass. So, right now, there's no question that Marui is horribly nervous. Still, it made her feel awful! It was embarrassing. Meanwhile, in the classroom, Taki is trying to get Marui focused, but he's too concerned that Mio is upset. He asks if Taki thinks that, with what he just said, he might have made her cry? He firmly grasps Taki's notebook, and Taki is a little shocked at how worried Marui is that he hurt Mio. After a pause, Taki answers that he's sure it's all right. Marui doesn't need to worry about that; rather, since they're running out of time, he should focus on learning the formulas. As Marui tries to relax, Taki looks at his crinkled notebook and tries to smooth it out, with a slightly pained expression.

Translator's Comment:Chapter 9-I like that Marui was apparently concerned that Taki would be jealous that he was with Mio, and Taki hardly even noticed. Probably a call back to Taki's lack of a guilty conscience over seeing Miwa; Taki had no romantic intentions, while Marui's feelings for Mio make him overly concerned about their innocent meeting. Next chapter: Mio and Marui are still terrible at what appears to be geometry, and Taki tries to help again.

Chapter 10-If Taki hadn't figured out that Marui is interested in Mio before, he seems to be suspicious by the end of the chapter. Somehow, Mio still seems unaware.