The last chapter (and who Yuuta gave his button to)
Hahhh I’ve been really overwhelmed with deep-seeded emotion ever since the last chapter came out (you can read the translated version here). It wrapped up fairly nicely when considering all the hiatuses and how the author likely had to finish it up quickly. I always felt a rush when buying the G Fantasy magazines for the month and scrolling through to find the Kimi to Boku chapter. I’m really, really glad that the author is having an “epilogue” of sorts with 3 more extra chapters—it makes the ending a lot softer.
I had the urge to talk about something in the story that’s been on my mind since Volume 13, since the chapter when Yuuta went over to Chizuru’s house for the first time. It was extremely subtle in my opinion (so I’d like to hear you guys’ thoughts on it too), and I didn’t have as much evidence—until this final chapter.
Kiichi-sensei (the author) is a master at slowing down time to emphasize certain moments and emotions. When Yuuta first goes over to Chizuru’s house in Volume 13, Chapter 59, Kiichi-sensei chooses these moments to focus on:
Chizuru is facing outside, basking in the sunlight through the window, but Yuuta is gazing straight at him. Yuuta then lets slip out that “(Chizuru) is dazzling,” but quickly covers it up when Chizuru asks what’s dazzling.
On the walk home, Yuuki pointedly notices Yuuta’s smile when he remembers what he did with Chizuru, and Kiichi-sensei makes sure that we see it.
There’s another chapter that centers around the two: Volume 14, Chapter 64. Chizuru enlists Yuuta’s help in buying a book for a book report and the chapter focuses on their time at the store.
Yuuta is a little entranced by Chizuru’s shining hair…
…Chizuru makes him laugh, and Yuuta catches himself doing so in the mirror…
and then Kiichi-sensei finishes it off with Chizuru gifting him the “bookmark” (and Yuuta is surprised at Chizuru’s sincerity) and the shot of them suspended in time next to each other.
I had a little inkling of a feeling that Yuuta may have caught the tiniest bug for Chizuru, but I decided to believe that it was Kiichi-sensei just affectionately focusing on a rare friendship match-up. Until this last chapter.
In the last chapter, Yuuta and Yuuki are trying to fend off a group of girls asking for their blazer buttons (in Japan, there’s a tradition that on graduation, male students give the second button on their blazer to a girl they like).
Yuuki notices that Yuuta is thinking about someone, and Yuuta wonders if “they” would feel grossed out if “they” got it from a guy. (It’s pretty obvious at this point that Yuuta is thinking of giving his button to another guy instead of a girl.)
Yuuki presumes that they’d just give it back, but Yuuta decides to go for it anyway, and he asks Yuuki to console him if things go badly:
(I checked the original Japanese, and the translation is a little incorrect: Yuuta is the one asking Yuuki, “If that happens, please comfort me. I’ll be counting on you, Yuuki-kun.”)
Yuuta runs off, and then is next seen with Chizuru, both of them blushing.
And so I think…Yuuta gave his button to Chizuru… And I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the extra chapters shows that scene.
If Yuuta having a crush on Chizuru is true, I can’t help but marvel how subtly and casually Kiichi-sensei wove that in (a main character having a crush on another main character is a big deal in a story!). It was subtle enough that my friend could tell that something was off in this last chapter, but couldn’t put her finger on what was going on. I really do hope that one of the extra chapters shows that scene, because I’d really like to know what Yuuta said to Chizuru when giving it to him.
This theory made me super curious so, while years down the track, I have finally got my hands on the hard copy of the original tankobon (final volumes to finalise my collection that was stuck at vol 15 at last!) to clarify for myself. Just wanted to chip in my thoughts to this!
In the original text (highlighted in yellow below), Yuta says こういうのって男からあげたらキモいのかな kouiuno tte otoko kara agetara kimoi no kana, which I believe is closer to "is it weird for guys to be the ones who give these things away?" There are a few slight nuances in Japanese involving the word "give" and "receive", which are used in separate circumstances. In Japan, usually the norm is for girls to ask for the button from the male student, in which the boy either complies or doesn't. The give/receive word often associated with button giving (or should I say, receiving) is the word もらうmorau "to receive" (implied as a result of either a favour or request)" - so for the girl to もらう from the guy. Whereas here, Yuta's emphasises on the giving "あげる" i.e. it being initiated by the guy.
Now I know a big reason why there's been theories Chizuru was the one Yuta gave it to because both of them arrived at the same time blushing, but I think it's simply them coming back from their respective last 青春 (moment of youth) experiences in high school. Prior to this, Chizuru had a chat with Mary and the end of it was him giving her a kiss to her hand, so it makes sense he's still blushing from it. Since, although Chizuru is cheeky in front of the girl he likes, is very much still a sensitive young man who is actually quite shy in romance.
So who did Yuta give this button to? My theory is, as you may have guessed, Takahashi. Now, I have a few reasons for this but aside from the fact that she's the only individual who has shown genuine romantic interest to Yuta the entire series, Hotta-sensei has actually put in tiny, but memorable developments, in their relationship through the series. Firstly, Yuta was shown to be mesmerised (and even blushed a little) when he saw Takahashi in her cheerleader uniform.
They even had a moment during the school dance!
There was a small episode which focused on Takahashi buying photos from the athletics carnival, basically showing her tempted to buy a (very handsome) photo of him, followed by Yuki's constant teasing. Now this is more on her end, but it's evident Hotta-sensei wants to show she is more than just an unimportant side character. She still likely holds some feelings for Yuta, even after they've broken up.
When they ended up in the same class again during their final year, they had yet another moment, where Hotta-sensei showed they noticed each other, with Takahashi blushing.
I think Hotta-sensei has done a wonderful job at making these moments very subtle but also very noticeable (reflective of how romantic crushes can develop particularly in your years in high school) - in my opinion at least.
All in all, I don't want to rain on people's parade of Yuta x Chizuru being a possible coupling Hotta-sensei intended (and hey, maybe it is) but based on what I know and can see, there is not really anything indicating it in the original Japanese text. This theory is likely due to a slight mistranslation - which is not a big deal, it has led us to cool ideas - but because it is what I believe is a mistranslation, I wanted to clear it up (and show the other side of why I think it's Takahashi).
If you read this far, thanks I guess! Hope you have a wonderful day ahead, and happy KimiBoku (re)reading! :)
Edit: Also @OP: thanks for giving the time to share your translations!!! Very important I say that and I probably should have put this section in earlier.
