Other Sotsugyou M stuffs :novels (M+)
Oretachi no Sentaku
Phew! As I mentioned in the review for the last one, this story continues in style from the end of the last book. Mikimaro had just been kidnapped by Zaizen, Nakamoto was faced with Kyouko and the prospect of his father's divorce, and Arai managed to interrupt Kawazoe in a compromising position with his fiancee. Meanwhile, Takagi has father issues and Yuusuke has gone home for the summer break.
So, let's go on.
The story starts with Nakamoto. To be honest, I'm not at all behind the idea of him getting anything going with Kyouko, but I still feel sorry for him when the problems keep on piling up. Kyouko's told him she's going to divorce Masakazu and leave town. Essentially, she's come to say "goodbye" it seems. Nakamoto summons his courage to tell her how he feels. But...and here's the kicker...as he's about to, Kyouko suddenly goes pale and bolts from the room into the bathroom. Nope, she's not sickened by her stepson's attempts to verbalise his feelings. It seems...that Kyouko...might be pregnant.
Meanwhile, Mikimaro has regained consciousness and is trying to work out where he is. For a while he can't piece his memory together and thinks he may still be at Nagisa's house sleeping off whatever came over him, but as he tries to get up he realises his feet are handcuffed (!) and attached to a chain which keeps him tethered to the bed. (Yeeps. This is getting a touch hardcore, ne...) Zaizen comes in and Mikimaro is both freaked out and angry. Zaizen tells him that it's his own fault however (!?) for lying to him and telling him that he was seeing Arai. (I must have missed that - I need to go back to book one and re-read, I guess). Zaizen also is convinced that because Mikimaro hasn't told him he doesn't like him, it must mean that he does. And so he's going to keep Mikimaro... (eeps)
Arai is agonising about Yuriko internally, while at Kawazoe's place. Kawazoe ended the last book by telling him that Arai was the most important to him, but even so, Arai is dangerously close to full on jealous at this point.
It seems Kawazoe's bought a computer to help with his digital photography, and it gets delivered. Kawazoe goes to set it up...
Arai has nothing to do, and he's not really comfortable in using all of Kawazoe's stuff while Kawazoe is working, so he's loitering with intent in the apartment. Actually, no. He's sleeping. Yeesh. LOL :) Then he gets a phone call from Nakamoto who apparently doesn't have anything to tell him but just wants to talk to a friend. Arai may be failing but he's not stupid. He knows something's up with his roommate, but if Nakamoto won't talk, what can he do? So he worries about him a bit, then goes to check on Kawazoe, who has been glued to his PC for a very long time.
The next chapter begins with Yuusuke in Kanazawa. Shameless confession - I skipped a bunch of this with him playing ball with the kids and so on. He also has a run in with Kanna, (see the original manga volume 5) who seems keen to spend time with him. Oddly, Yuusuke's attitude towards Kanna seems to be different than it was in the manga. He's no longer so keen to hang out with her - he even tells her that although she's grown prettier, her personality hasn't done the same. Yuusuke also doesn't want to tell her about his NBA plans because he thinks she'll laugh. And that he doesn't want anything from her - that he'd have been fine if they never met again. Kanna is certainly a bit snide in this scene, asking about Arai and teasing him a little in front of the kids. She tells him that she remembers Arai because people in Kanazawa aren't as cool as him, and that she wants to go to a Tokyo university so maybe they'll meet up (if Yuusuke is at Seiryuu's university, which he leads her to believe he will be). I have to admit that for once, Yuusuke is semi-impressive. Maybe he's growing up...
Back to poor Mikimaro ,who's stuck in his own personal hell with Zaizen ^_^. The interesting thing about this section is that Mikimaro says quite plainly that he's not interested in men (erm, what's Arai, then?). Actually, I really like Mikimaro in this section. At first he's praying for someone to rescue him, but then he stops and thinks laterally about how Arai would tell him to deal with it. Arai would take action to solve the problem himself, so Mikimaro resolves to do just that. He summons Zaizen using the bell that Zaizen had left for him, and asks to go to the toilet (oldest trick in the book, right?) Zaizen agrees and takes him, waiting outside of the door for him to finish. Unshackled, Mikimaro makes use of his time to find a potential weapon to use to defend himself. At first he thinks its hopeless, but then he finds a toilet brush and aerosol spray and so he draws them on his kidnapper, telling him exactly what he thinks of him! Zaizen is...quite surprised, to put it mildly. Not just by the weapon choice, but by Mikimaro's sudden change in attitude. He's not being the cute, wilful, needing to be rescued little boy, but (dare I say it) a man? And he pretty much tells Zaizen that he doesn't want to kiss him and more, anything beyond that gives him shivers just thinking about it. Harsh! Zaizen rather has the wind taken out of his sails, and Mikimaro takes his opportunity to leave, revelling in his new found strength and freedom.
At the dorm, Arai has gone back for a brief break. Ostensibly he's there to get a change of clothes. In actual fact he's worried about Nakamoto and wants to check up on him. Nakamoto is in bed, which does nothing to allay Arai's fears. Worse, when Nakamoto tries to get up, he pretty much falls down and Arai has to catch him. At this point Arai betrays his true concerns for his friend's well being, and although he claims he's not there for Nakamoto's sake, Nakamoto knows that he is (and he feels a little better for it). Nakamoto tells him he's all right, just heat-exhausted and having trouble eating and sleeping. He does some internal agonising about Kyouko's pregnancy, because being the smart guy he is he's realised that if she really hasn't been letting Masakazu near her, and she's divorcing him...how could she be pregnant? He's worried that the Kyouko he's seen so far has been an illusion and with his feelings the way they are he's pretty messed up over it. He wants to tell Arai, but he's also afraid to because it'll reopen the wound further and he's not quite at the point where he can discuss it yet. So he doesn't tell Arai what's worrying him. He just asks Arai to stay a little while longer, and Arai agrees. (Aw...)
Arai does go back to Kawazoe's, as he's agreed to help him out with his work. They go to an unusual studio where Kawazoe has a conversation (In English! And yes, I mean proper English text, not pretend English) with one of the models. The model asks Kawazoe if Arai is his lover and Kawazoe replies "As if!". Though Arai's English is quite good (it's his best subject, after all), he doesn't pick up this part of the conversation. There's some more here about their work and the models gossiping and Kawazoe's reputation as a good up and coming photographer whose name has been linked with a big project of some kind that's meant to be top secret (except it isn't, clearly!).
On their return to Kawazoe's place, there's a message on the answer machine from Yuriko who wants to meet alone with Kawazoe on the weekend to talk. Arai suggests he keeps out of their way and that he'll go back to the dorm then to "get a change of clothes" (What the hell is it with him and that excuse anyhow?) but Kawazoe sees through it. He drags Arai out to some bar he knows, and once there he asks if Arai hates Yuriko. Arai says he doesn't really hate her, but he doesn't really like her. Kawazoe tells him it's okay to hate her if he likes. There follows some discussion about Kawazoe's situation with his family and the position his mother has put him in (being the bastard child, etc). He also tells Arai a few home truths and admits that he's not bothered where women are concerned whether they're there or not because they're not people he can put his faith in. Or something along those lines. Seems a bit twisty to me, but there you go. Kawazoe tells Arai that he's also the first person he's met who's honestly told him how things are, good and bad, even to the point of fighting with him. Also, that he likes it that way.
Back to Takagi - hopefully after all this other character angst people still remember what's going on with him. He's been called out to meet with Mitsuse, after the meeting in which Mitsuse almost blurted out that he was Takagi's father, etc. Takagi thinks there's something different about him today, and he's proven right since Mitsuse asks Takagi to ask him whatever's on his mind. Eventually Takagi comes out and says it - that Mitsuse is his real father, right? Mitsuse confirms it, and admits he suspected Takagi knew when he didn't raise any comment in the meeting before. Takagi asks why he hasn't said so from the start and Mitsuse says he thought it better because Charlotte (Takagi's mother) had never disclosed the information. He planned to do it when Takagi turned 20, and Takagi is surprised that Mitsuse thinks that their blood connection will automatically make all understood between them. Mitsuse emphasises that since Takagi is his only blood son, he wants him close by...Takagi says that no matter what Mitsuse says or does, he plans on following his music. Even if it means Mitsuse no longer wants anything to do with him. Mitsuse is a bit shaken by this, and its clear he doesn't want to lose contact with Takagi because he loved Charlotte (the only woman he has ever loved in his life, apparently).
Kawazoe and Arai are awaiting Yuriko's arrival, and Arai wants to cook a meal. He intends to go buy stuff, and when Kawazoe tries to give him some money to buy supplies, he tells his host that he has a card (a platinum credit card). Here follows a semi-lecture from Kawazoe about the fact Arai is more dependant on Yoshiki than he realises he is. He wants Arai to admit it to himself and try to do things himself...
Yuriko arrives, and they eat dinner. After, Yuriko insists on helping with the washing up, so Arai and Kawazoe go into the living room to watch the end of a fight that's on. It's about finished and Arai is cheesed off when Kawazoe's channel hopping means he misses the end. He play attacks Kawazoe, who soon gets the better of him, holding him down. Then he releases him and Arai falls half off the sofa, with Kawazoe grabbing him hurriedly. It is this scene that Yuriko walks in on...and gets totally the wrong (right?) impression. Then Kawazoe gets a call from the producer of the other photoshoot offering him a major contract which has him - and Arai - very excited. He wants Arai to be his assistant again and both of them seem to forget that Yuriko is even there. Unsurprisingly, soon after, Yuriko leaves the flat much to Arai's secret delight!)
And the book ends with Katou ruminating on hurting Kanna's feelings and discussing his sister's engagement party.
Illustrations (scans) from Volume Seven
(Click on image to view bigger)
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