Sorry, Tomoko, but your little vacation from the series is over.

The inevitable parallel chapter arrives as we finally get to see what was going on behind the Counseling Room door. And it’s setting itself up as the overdue bonding experience between Tomoko and Yoshida. How will our pair of delinquent ladies fair against “the man”? Is suspension the prison-style experience we think it is? Will they forge a sacred bond after enduring various hardships like in old teen movies? All these answers and more after the break.

Chapter 158: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Be Suspended

Yoshida sounds likes she deals with teachers grilling her on a daily basis.

Tomoko, on the other hand, talks a lot of shit, but immediately shrinks in the face of authority. What a lovely dichotomy.

First off, this guy’s eyes make him look dead inside.

Secondly, I can’t imagine someone would just have happened to have their camera ready to take a picture of two girls cruising by in a motor scooter. Unless said person was a creep/prude with nothing better to do than bust some highschoolers. It’s gotta be that “neighborhood watch” guy.

I don’t normally point stuff like this out but…Ogino’s pretty, um, well-endowed.

Just as I thought. Even Teach’ here knows that Tomoko and Yoshida would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for that meddling adult.

I really do appreciate this kind of clarification. As a Westerner, it felt weird to see how quickly Tomoko and Yoshida got punished, and I chalked it up to cultural ignorance on my part. But I guess even in Japan, the circumstances were unusual in this scenario, and it’s nice to see that the teachers aren’t so high-strung that they’d dish out suspensions willy-nilly.

Of course, Rena has no such privilege.

Ah, the wonderful, wonderful world where education meets politics.

Yoshida has proven to be the type who’s either too prideful or ignorant to apologize, so when she actually does, you know she’s being sincere. Baby steps, everyone. Baby steps.

Her reasons may not be pure, but I do like that Tomoko isn’t holding this against Yoshida. Though I’m not sure how authentic it is for suspensions to not go on your permanent record. Is it really that first-time offenders get a free pass?

How long do you think it’ll take before reality ensues and Tomoko’s fantasy of a fun-filled suspension becomes shattered?

Y’all just know that Yoshida is speaking from experience here.

I wasn’t sure if we were going to get the fallout between Tomoko and her mom, but I’m really glad that we are now.

Much of Tomoko’s shenanigans at school stays at school. The kind of shit she gets into hardly ever affects her at home. But in this case, the consequences of a suspension are simply too big for the series to gloss over in Tomoko’s house. Her mother may not be involved in Tomoko’s social life much, but any respectable parent is going to be pissed at their kid in this situation.

While her priorities may be skewed at times, TomoMom is ultimately a good parent. She’s naturally upset that Tomoko got in trouble so late in her high school life, but her primary concern was the safety of her daughter. Moments of familial love are rare in this manga, so I’ll take what I can get.

That said, I kind of agree with Tomoko on this one. Yoshida probably wouldn’t have crashed if she was able to stay on the road following a groping.

Insert obligatory reference to Day Gone here.

Every kid’s gotta blow off steam through some gaming after a scolding from their parent(s).

Here comes the pseudo-harem checking up on their girl.

Seems that nobody gave a flying fuck about Ogino’s order not to contact the detained. The messages themselves may be standard, but I can just feel the “pain and suffering” between the lines.

BUSTED!!

Moments like this that show what it’s really like to be a high school student are the icing on the cake.

Tomoko’s perpetual tiredness is always signified by her massive eyebags, so it’s kind of funny how being extra tired results in her looking more cartoonish. One more level of sleepiness, and she’s going to end up turning into Konata Izumi.

Is it possible for mothers to be tsundere for their own daughters, or is that just my inner weeb talking?

Only thing creepier than being at school late at night is being at school early in the morning.

Chill out, Teach’. You really expect suspended students to go the extra mile of coming in early?

If Yoshida is anything, it’s that she doesn’t bullshit. If she says she’ll be there earlier tomorrow, she will.

Author’s note: I’ve never been suspended in any sort of capacity when I was at school, so I see this chapter as a semi-fascinating lesson on just how the process works, at least in a Japanese setting. It looks pretty brutal written all out like that, but I guess that’s kind of the point.

Heh, corporate wage cucks. Gotta love those liberal translations.





I love that Tomoko was more or less chillaxing until the point when she realized she had to turn in her phone. If you want to kill an introvert, remove their means of killing time.

Hello, Nameless Girls! I’ll be putting you two down for future reference if you don’t mind.

This was not the isekai manga we were expecting, but it’s the one that we all need.

So are the periods for suspended kids just spent completing worksheets for their respective classes? While the work itself seems to be fairly difficult given the scores they got, I’d imagine that the real struggle is the endless boredom. Punishment by repetition is surprisingly effective.

Pardon my enthusiasm, but this shot of Tomoko and Yoshida laying down on the desk together is absolutely precious. There really is nothing more adorable than two people bonding over a shared sense of “why-we-gotta-do-this-shit?”.

Considering that Rena is a frequent offender, the girl’s stubbornness must be rock solid.

Oh hey, I remember this teacher! He was the one that got pissed at Tomoko because she forgot her textbook and didn’t think to ask a deskmate to share. Good…times.

Man, teachers like that are the worst.

Not to stereotype (ironic, given what this chapter’s about), but this teacher gives off an air of one of those traditional old guys who’s a stickler for the rules, even if said rules are unreasonable or outdated. Hang in there, girls.

I remember this guy too! Who could forget the teacher who said “Be careful on your way home,” to Tomoko at the very beginning of the series?

It only just hit me that Nico Tanigawa are using this suspension as an opportunity to organically reintroduce some of the school’s staff that have made cameos in the past. Damn, that’s slick.

Knew it was coming; Still LMAO.

I guess ever since Ucchi called Tomoko “kimoi!” to her face, there are no more secrets. All the crazy shit that Ucchi does, Tomoko is going to notice it all. Hold on to your emojis, folks. The UchiMoko ship is going to be a bumpy ride.

Hearing a teacher of all people say this to Tomoko makes my heart go a-flutter just like she is right now. If this were still the start of the series, it would’ve been a miracle of ungodly proportions to hear someone say what Tomoko has always fantasized about.

We’ve come so far since then.

Alright, this guy is legit.

He hasn’t known Tomoko all that long in the grand scheme of things, and yet, her lack of an impression ironically made a pretty big impression in itself. One of Watamote’s major themes is how popularity comes in many forms. And for Tomoko, her status as a massive loner actually lent itself to a degree of popularity she didn’t even notice.

Even way back then, Tomoko’s efforts were not in vain.

Respect, Teach’. Even he isn’t going to be all judgmental just because she got suspended. If anything, he seems to almost encourage it since it evidently brought Tomoko out of her shell. He and Ogino definitely seem like the most reasonable of the teachers we’ve seen so far, and I do hope Tomoko comes to recognize that her instructors really do support her and ultimately comes to appreciate her teachers more, if only slightly.

And…fantasy shattered.

They say all things should be enjoyed in moderation, and that includes your social comfort zone. Even Tomoko, who to this day still enjoys her alone time, can only be in “solitary confinement” for so long. She made the common mistake of thinking that being by herself is what she craved most, but in reality, it’s being by herself while having fun. And with only boring schoolwork and a delinquent (who she has timed conversations with) to keep her company, it’s no surprise that the cabin fever starts sinking in.

Just look at how Hirasawa keeps herself at a distance from the other girls. Poor thing really doesn’t have any female friends…

Not to sound like Tomoko, but Yoshida’s smiling like she just bought something off the black market. I’d imagine she’d have this same exact expression if she were to buy booze, cigs, or Disney merchandise.

Sorry, Tomoko, but you think you could give us a little bit more context? That actually sounds almost kind of interesting.

Ah, Yoshida, let this be a lesson for you. If you ask Tomoko to pick a conversation topic, expect her to talk about something sexual, depraved, or otherwise creepy as hell.

I don’t know if Tomoko is being extra bold since even Yoshida (probably) wouldn’t risk further punishment by punching Tomoko during suspension, but she really has no sense of self-preservation around her delinquent buddy, huh? She used to, back when she didn’t really know Yoshida and thought she might actually kill her. But now that Tomoko knows she’s a big softie who wouldn’t really hurt her (again, probably), all bets are off.

It’s official: Yoshida has the least amount of self-awareness out of the entire cast.

What’s this? Some backstory from Yoshida? For a character as transparent as her, that’s quite the surprise. As for what this comment means, it seems pretty straightforward. Yoshida was very likely a sensitive girl before something along the way toughened her up. But even if she’s got a lot more thick skin now, her “innocent” side continues to thrive.

That’s also being hypocritical to the max, Tomoko.

We don’t often see Yoshida’s opinion of Tomoko beyond the whole “she’s-a-dumbass-who-gropes-me” impression, so it’s interesting to see her acknowledge the emo aesthetic Tomoko has going for her. Hell, Yoshida even seems to find the side of her endearing to an extent. That said, I guess it goes to show that while Yoshida may be clueless, she isn’t blind.

Call Ogino whatever you like, but I think it’s safe to say that’s she’s pretty good career consultant for the students (if you ignore the borderline-infringing on student-teacher confidentiality).

I’m honestly surprised they we may actually get to see some growth in Yoshida, career-wise at least. The girl always felt like the type who just lives in the moment, so I’m interested to see what choice she makes, if any.

Sleepy Yoshida is a cutie.

Anybody want to make a bet on which teacher is Hori-sensei? Dead Eyes, Old Geezer, or Reasonable Nice Guy?

Girl, who do you think you are? Bart Simpson?

It wouldn’t surprise me. A seasoned delinquent has to know how to maneuver around authority figures. Knowing where to avoid them, making up tardy excuses, and of course, bullshitting through reflection essays.

Now I can’t help but wonder if Yoshida is actually really articulate on paper…

Uh, Tomoko? You do realize that if you’re going to plagiarize, copying off the only other student in the room is going to get you caught red-handed, right?

Disclaimer: The author of this post does not condone plagiarism insofar that it can be held against them.

I can’t believe the teacher accepted Tomoko’s essay at all. But hey, no one wants to drag out the suspension at the end of the day, so the implication does seem like Tomoko will have to rewrite the essay until its “hers”.

If we don’t see Yoshida wearing the tie in the next chapter. I’m boycotting the reviews.

P. S. No, I’m not.

It took over fifty chapters, but Yoshida finally paid back Tomoko for the coffee the later got her during the rainy walk home.

You know, I wonder if Yoshida will ever get close enough with the others to call them by their first names?

Also, I can’t avoid the elephant in the room and not acknowledge the backhanded flag for the YoshiMako ship there. It’s just subtle enough where it doesn’t feel heavyhanded. Granted, it’s a little suspect that Mako didn’t send a LINE to Tomoko herself, I’m willing to play it off as inconvenient timing for some very convenient shipteasing.

Final conclusion: Suspension sucks.

You may have noticed that this chapter’s pacing felt slower than usual. Given that this whole chapter was about Tomoko pushing through long boredom spells, I think that this was intentional in order to invoke a feeling of frustrating monotony. But even with this choice of direction, it doesn’t steer away from the real meat of this chapter: Tomoko and Yoshida’s friendship.

It’s only the first day, and already Tomoko and Yoshida are already making great strides. There’s a certain candidness in their banter that is reminiscent of old buddies, even as they learn more about each other. In a strange way, the more they piss on each other, the more meaningful their moments of genuine kindness feel. This slow and steady acceptance of each other faults is best described by a single realization:

Yoshida did not punch Tomoko once this whole chapter.