List of All Chika & Satowa Moments
@kotos-and-smiles and I have done a compilation of all Chika & Satowa moments and interactions throughout the manga. This way you can all have a guide of how their relationship has been evolving chapter by chapter. Hope you find it useful!
In bold letters, you will find the milestones, or most important Chika and Satowa moments
1-10
Chapter 2:
Chika and Satowa meet for the first time and fight
Satowa tells Chika he is not worthy of playing koto while pulling on his tie
Chika realizes that Satowa is in the same class as him and asks her how to become worthy of playing, she refuses to answer. He runs off, not wanting to be around her.
Chika hears Satowa playing koto for the first time
Satowa sees that Chika is working to repair the kotos to become worthy of playing
Chapter 3
Chika and Satowa bicker about which one of them is deterring members from joining the club
Chika claims he can play the koto, but he tries and fails to play the song Gen taught him. Satowa insults him.
When Chika and his friends stumble across Satowa eating lunch alone, Satowa says to Chika that she’s used to being alone. He notices her somber mood.
Chika tries to ask about Satowa’s family on their way to Nishina’s, but she snaps at him
Satowa helps Chika find the right koto picks, having to take his hand in hers. He notices how hard her fingertips are and how small her hand is
Satowa claims that Chika alone bought the gift for granny, allowing him to keep the picks
Chapter 4
Chika and Satowa bicker about him being able to learn how to play in time for the club’s first performance
When they go to watch Ryuuseigun being performed, Satowa nearly gets hit by some jerks and Chika pulls her back. He says that she shouldn’t provoke people. She ignores the advice.
Chika begins to get defensive about being able to play the song well but remembers how Satowa plays and is aggravated by how skilled she is, and his lack of ability
Satowa leaves the group early, and Chika takes notice
Chika sees Satowa carrying a koto to school by herself and offers to help. She turns him down, claiming that he’ll damage it
Chika and Satowa argue about practice time, they both end up saying things that actually hurt each other.
Satowa spots Chika playing his cardboard koto and compliments him on his form while playing
Chapter 5
Chika tries to ask Satowa about how to make his sounds clearer with his bare fingers, it devolves into bickering
Satowa plays with the club for the first time. Chika once again realizes he wants to be able to play like Satowa
Chika makes Satowa go with the club when they go to a restaurant together
Chika tells Satowa that she can be honest when she doesn’t know something and that no one will blame her
Chika cooks for her
Chapter 6
Satowa explains that koto is a way of connecting people’s hearts, which resonates with Chika
Chika practices his solo but his sound is different than it’s ever been before. Satowa is shocked to hear his true sound
Chika shares that it was his grandfather who taught him how to play when Satowa asks
Chapter 7
Satowa learns about Chika’s past
Satowa is in tears as she runs into Chika outside of the club
Chika gives her a pack of tissues by placing it on her head, telling her she can come to the club later
Satowa apologizes for everything she’s said to him
Chika makes fun of her but gives her a slight, understanding smile
Satowa kicks Chika for making fun of her when she was being serious and walks away
Satowa tries to bring up the way he played at Granny’s, but Chika doesn’t know what she’s talking about
Satowa asks Chika to carry the seventeen-stringer for her, now trusting him enough to carry it
Chapter 9
Satowa runs off in the middle of people complimenting her on their performance. Chika notices her reaction
Chapter 10
Chika and Satowa bicker some more
Chika brings his koto to school, and Satowa scolds him for bringing such a nice koto. He relents and says he’ll bring it home
Chika is asked to bring handouts to Satowa, the teacher stating he’s the only one Satowa ever really talks to
Chika defends Satowa against Hiro’s lies, saying that he’ll only believe what Satowa herself says
11-20
Chapter 11:
Chika carries Satowa to bed after she faints from a high fever
Chika realizes Satowa lives by herself
Chika accidentally finds Satowa’s underwear and pretends he didn’t see
Chika takes care of sick Satowa
Chika sees the recording of Satowa’s entry in the National Koto Competition and cries after listening to her sound
Chika stays the night to take care of Satowa
Chika tells Satowa she can talk about her problems in her own time
Satowa finds out that Chika prepared porridge for her, eats it while tearing up because of how touched she is
Chapter 12:
Satowa watches Chika and remembers him staying the night to take care of her
Satowa tries to thank Chika for taking care of her but is interrupted by Kota
After Satowa tells them she was debarred from the Hozuki Group, Chika thinks about when she didn’t want to tell him about where she learned koto and looks worriedly at her.
After she confesses she was debarred, Chika tells her to not get ill anymore because they would have a hard time just with Takezou.
Satowa explains classical pieces to Chika
Chapter 13:
Chika pushes Satowa so she can eat lunch with her class girlfriends for the first time
Satowa realizes why Chika pushed her and Chika smiles when he sees he achieved his objective
Chika, remembering Satowa’s words about musical pieces, earnestly asks her to play Rokudan for him, because “he would like to properly listen to Hozuki’s playing once more”
When Satowa looks at Chika’s face, she gathers the courage to play for them, even though she is still afraid because of her mother saying “her koto is a weapon”
Chapter 14:
Chika is fascinated by Satowa’s Rokudan and asks her how he can play like that. Satowa explains it doesn’t make sense for him to play like her, since that is her Rokudan.
Chapter 15:
Chika is surprised by Satowa adamantly telling Kazusa she is fine in the Tokise club
Chika and Satowa lightly bicker about Kuon being the piece they should play at the music festival
Chika and Satowa hum Kuon together to practice in the middle of class.
While Satowa is embarrassed for saying something like she joining the koto club was just an interesting story for her future, because she would carry them to Nationals, she asks Chika if he is okay with her joining the club for such reasons. He answers that since their performance affects her future, they have a huge responsibility.
Satowa is touched by his words and says she likes playing with everyone while furiously blushing
While Chika makes fun of her for blushing, Satowa is transfixed by his smile and her heart starts beating faster
Chapter 16:
When Kazusa tries to drag Satowa away, Chika pulls her back against his chest and tells Kazusa he knows they are not at her level, but they will catch up to her
Chika still holding her wrist, Satowa smiles, touched by his words
Chapter 18:
Chika asks Hozuki to keep her rhythm, since people are talking about the difference between them and her, and she shouldn’t slow down for them.
She says that she is gonna become so good he won’t be able to catch up. They bicker and become “rivals”
Chika is laying on the floor fading from the heat and says he wants a Papico. Satowa asks what is that?
Going home, Chika shares his Papico with Satowa
When they are discussing allocations for their summer camp, Chika looks at Mittsu and Satowa, who would struggle to come up with the money. He steps up for them and says he is broke, so they don’t have to speak up.
Chapter 19
In summer camp, Chika asks Satowa to play a part of the piece for him. He sits close to her because he wants to see clearly. They both stay sitting together until he understands how to play it.
Before leaving, Chika says “your koto notes are beautiful”
While walking back to practice, Chika thinks about her way of playing makes it look really easy.
When practicing together, Satowa keeps an eye on Chika and the part he asked her to teach him. She is shocked to see he can play it now by just watching her.
21-30
Chapter 21:
After practicing the performance, Chika quickly asks Satowa if they got better. Satowa just proudly smiles at him. Chika looks giddy.
Chapter 22:
Chika arrives in the morning to practice and Satowa is already there. She stares at his back and he almost catches her when he turns. They discuss the meaning of ‘Ryuusegun’ and Chika points out how Satowa seems to be having fun with the club. Flustered, Satowa stands up and stumbles into the koto, and falls into Chika’s arms. Satowa blushes furiously and Chika looks puzzled.
Chika, not understanding Satowa’s reaction, believes he brushed her breast with his arm and takes Sane’s beating
Kazusa takes Satowa’s hand and again insists on her transferring to Himesaka. Chika takes Satowa’s wrist and pulls Kazusa away. They banter and fight over where Satowa belongs.
Chapter 24:
When Sentaro first sees Satowa, he has a nosebleed. Chika makes fun of him and points out he must’ve had a perverted thought about her. Satowa gets angry because of his crudeness and hits him.
After, she stays mad and tells him that even though he has matured some, his level of maturity is still that of an elementary school student.
Granny brings the kotos to the competition venue and gives Chika his koto, the one Gen made. He asks Satowa to carry it for him. She understands how much he is counting on her that is and proudly carries it.
Hiro accidentally pushes a koto and Satowa, trying to protect the kotos on the floor, almost has the falling koto crash on her head. Chika protects her and hurts his wrist in the process
Chapter 25:
Chika has disappeared with the excuse is an upset stomach. Satowa is worried and tries to mask it, but Hiro points out is ok to say she is worried about him.
When Chika comes back, Satowa says that even one person makes a difference in the performance, and tells him he should do something about his stomach ache with his fighting spirit. Chika, who was told by Takinami that the rest could perform without him, is touched.
Just before entering the scenario, Satowa notices Chika is sweating a lot. He brushes it off, but she notices he is acting odd.
Chapter 26:
Satowa notices Chika’s sound is not right mid-performance. She turns to him and realizes he is hurt. She remembers how he shielded her from getting hurt and realizes that was the moment he got injured. She blames herself and her sound starts distorting. Everyone notices the change.
Chapter 27:
After Chika goes to the infirmary to get treated, Satowa quickly cleans up to go buy him some strawberry flavored snacks
Satowa overhears Kazusa and Chika’s conversation. Kazusa berates him and tells him she can not accept that performance, and that they do not deserve to play alongside Satowa. Chika tells her that the outcome of the performance was his fault, but that Kazusa has no say over where Satowa wants to be. She is with them because that’s what she wants. Kazusa snaps and says that they made Satowa sound to become flaccid and dull. Satowa can only think about how Kazusa then prefers the sound that separated her from her mother but then hears Chika correct her saying it is not a flaccid nor dull sound. It is now a gentle sound, and he much prefers it than when he first heard her play. Satowa is beyond touched.
Chika finds Satowa behind the column and startles. Satowa says she heard everything, and before Chika apologizes because he talked without thinking, Satowa sincerely thanks him for his words. Chika goes to pat Satowa’s head but gets interrupted by the rest of the club.
Satowa pushes into Chika’s arms the bag of snacks she bought for him and runs off. Mittsu sees the snacks and asks for some. Chika kicks him and goes away after saying he is not sharing.
We see Satowa is running off with a happy smile on her face
Chapter 29:
Chika notices Satowa is wearing her hair down again. She asks him if that is a bad thing and he says he doesn’t really care. Satowa gets irked by that, and Chika asks why is she getting angry.
The girls in class have talked about love. They ask Satowa how is Chika in the club, and she doesn’t know how to answer. She gets flustered when they ask if there’s someone she likes.
Satowa is making the menu poster for the cafe their class is making for the school festival. Chika laughs at her drawings. Satowa is transfixed by his laugh and smile, but other classmates notice too. Satowa covers Chika’s face with a carton.
Chika goes to help Satowa and almost steps on a nail. Satowa, trying to prevent this, stumbles into him. Chika’s lips end up in Satowa’s forehead. Chika blushes and apologizes. Satowa says it’s alright but suddenly starts crying.
Satowa runs off, and Chika is stunned thinking he made her cry. Tetsuki saw the whole thing unfold.
Satowa is not handling well her feelings. She is feeling hot all over.
Chapter 30:
Although it was an accident, the whole atmosphere is unbearably awkward. Chika tries to apologize but Satowa won’t meet his eyes. He is shocked, and Satowa is dismayed by how much more awkward he made the whole situation
Satowa tells herself is no time to think about what happened, and that she needs to erase that emotion for the sake of the club.
Satowa apologizes to Chika and tells him he did nothing wrong. She reacted badly just because of a silly accident.
Chika is still puzzled because he feels something is wrong still. When he goes to greet her good morning, wondering if they are back to normal, she greets back stoically and still won’t meet his eyes
In class, Chika asks Satowa if they can talk, and noting she is still avoiding his eyes, he starts to get really worried, wondering “why won’t she look at him”.
Chika seeks advice from Tetsuki, and he tells him to give her time.
In the club room, they are looking at CDs with possible candidates for the song they play at the preliminaries. Kota asks Chika to come to look at a CD case and when approaching Kota, he gets near Satowa. Satowa flinches, and a hurt Chika reminds himself “Time heals all wounds”
Satowa is serving in the cafe their class is making for the school festival. A guy from another school grabs her to force her to talk to him and his friend. Chika sweeps in to push his hand away from her and sends him a death glare.
When Chika turns to Satowa, she turns away because she still can’t look at his face. We see she can’t stop blushing, and the “heat won’t go away” no matter what.
Chika is dismayed and depressed by the whole situation.
31-40
Chapter 31:
As the rest of the club leaves to go enjoy the festival, Satowa decides to stay behind and Chika decides to stay with her to finally talk to her alone.
Chika calls her “Houzuki-san” rather than just “Houzuki” because he is so worried about trying to be respectful, implying that he isn’t sure where their friendship stands after the last couple of days.
Chika asks what he can do for her to forgive him and apologizes to her, but then they get interrupted
Before Satowa leaves with Takinami, Satowa hands Chika a tuner for his koto so he can practice. It’s the first time she’s talked to him for the last couple of days.
Chapter 32:
Chika greets Satowa the next day at the club. She turns her head away and he’s shocked for a moment, worrying that she still won’t talk to him, but she insults his hair and he gets offended. As he turns away Chika smiles now that they’re back to their usual banter
As Takinami suggests Satowa’s solo performance for their song for prelims, Chika mentions that he’s heard it before and notices her adverse reaction to having it brought up
During lunch, as Satowa is alone thinking about her past with the song, Chika comes to sit next to her.
Satowa asks him what he thought about the song, thinking back to his comment on her sound right after the Kanto music festival, and he answers that it hurt
Chika asks her if she’s listened to the song before, and she answers no. He sticks an earbud into Satowa’s ear and puts the other in his own so they can listen to her performance. He says “I don’t know what this song is to you, but it will be fine if we listen to it together.”
After listening to the song with him, Satowa stands up, having gained more clarity on the song and the situation. She thanks Chika, telling him she’s fine now.
Chapter 33
Chika notices that Satowa’s sound has changed again, and that wants to make him practice more
Chika thinks to himself that he won’t let the gap between him and Satowa get any bigger and that he’s definitely catching up to her. She turns around and smiles at him as he practices.
Seeing that the club needs another seventeen-stringer to practice, Satowa goes to borrow one from her mother. Though Chika is initially excited, he quickly realizes how serious it is that Satowa borrowed it from her family. Satowa brushes it off as not a big deal and Chika thanks her with a bright smile. She is happy to see that the club, including Chika, will be able to practice better.
Chapter 34
Akira joins the club as their teacher, Chika is immediately concerned upon hearing that she’s from the Houzuki group. He asks why Satowa can’t just continue to teach them, but Takinami points out that Satowa needs to focus on her own playing. Chika feels guilty that he’s asked her for help so many times in the past
Chapter 35
Satowa tries to help Chika with his playing, but he snaps at her that it’s fine. She is surprised, but he does mutter an apology
Chapter 36
Chika goes to the clubroom early to practice and Satowa is the first to arrive after him. She tries to help him again and he tries to refuse again saying that she should focus on her own practice. She says he’s an idiot for listening to what Akira said and he calls her an idiot right back. Satowa insists on continuing to help everyone practice, and when Chika still doesn’t listen to her she pulls on his tie and tells him that she never thought helping them was a burden. They share a moment just looking at each other, before she helps him practice. He marvels at her sound, once again thinking of how much he wants to play as well as she can. She smiles as he asks her to play again before they get interrupted
Chapter 38
Chika grabs Satowa’s hand in the middle of practice to feel how hard her fingertips are. She’s confused at first then pulls her hand away. He’s completely oblivious to why what he did was wrong, but then she calls him a pervert for just touching him and he remembers the incident from the end of ch.29.
He asks if she’s feeling well because she’s been quiet that day. She says her throat just feels bad, so he gives her a strawberry flavored cough drop/candy. She comments on the fact that everything he has really is strawberry flavored, and he tells her to stop complaining. She thanks him seriously though.
After having an upsetting conversation with Akira, Satowa eats the cough drop/candy
Chapter 40
Satowa and Akira play Tenkyuu together. Chika is excited to hear it and it ends up making him cry a bit
41-50
Chapter 41
Chika begins to over practice, so in class, he’s really tired. Satowa comments on it and asks him if he’s worried about the song. He replies that it has nothing to do with her, she snaps at him and turns away. He thinks to himself that he wants to stand next to her.
Chapter 42
Chika isn’t allowed to practice due to hurting his fingers by over-practicing. As Satowa is leaving class, Chika stops her. She bumps right into his chest, and he says he wants to talk to her. In the background, Satowa’s friends freak out thinking that they could possibly be confessing.
Chika and Satowa go to talk alone in a hallway. He asks her about why she wrote Tenkyuu, sharing that his grandfather once said to him that “A song is the very heart of its maker,” which is why he wants to know her side of things to understand better, and he feels like he can’t play as well if he doesn’t understand. She tries to say she’ll just be talking about herself, but Chika insists that it would help him, so she tells him about her past with Tenkyuu.
After she tells him everything, he thanks her and says he understands the song better now, then asks if he can share it with anyone else. Satowa doesn’t want to burden everyone with her backstory, but Chika tells her that it’s different because everyone cares about her. Satowa buys Chika an ice cream after that, thinking to herself that she hopes to be able to repay him the same warmth she’s always received from him.
Chapter 43
Chika asks Satowa if her mother is coming to listen to their performance later. Satowa says thinks that her mother won’t come, but it’s okay because it’s the club’s performance and they’ll be performing together again. Chika gives her a look of admiration.
Satowa says she has something to give to everyone but tries to pull back at the last moment so Chika grabs her wrist and pulls her hand from her bag with the box full of charms in it. He keeps holding onto her wrist as he opens the box. After seeing that someone made a charm just for him, which is something no one has ever done for him, he gets emotional thinking about how great the club is and how he wants it to last forever.
Chapter 44
Chika notices that Satowa is quiet and asks her about
Chapter 47
Chika asks Satowa a question about the performances and he gets quiet. Satowa is confused by his silence.
As Satowa gives Akira her charm, Chika realizes that Satowa doesn’t have one of her own so he takes out a marker and writes her name on his charm. They share a moment, her staring at the charm with both their names, Chika looking at her gauging her reaction, before Kota interrupts them saying they’re like a couple. Chika questions whether her reaction was a happy one or not.
Chapter 50
Right before their performance for the prelims, everyone is nervous so Satowa almost tries to say something, but before she can Chika grabs a lock of her hair to get her attention so that Takezou can give a speech instead
As the performance starts with Satowa’s solo, Chika thinks to himself “She really is… amazing.”
51-60
Chapter 52:
After hearing Chiharu listened to their performance, and that Satowa wants to excuse herself to go look for her, Chika takes her arm and, distressed asks her “Why didn’t she say something earlier!?”
Chika sees a woman with a kimono and calls out to her. After seeing her face, he immediately assumes that she can’t be Satowa’s mom, since she looks more like Mittu’s mom.
Chika remembers Satowa’s struggles with her mom and the situation that resulted in. He prays for her mom not to have gone back yet.
Chapter 53:
Chika looks happy when he sees mother and daughter embracing
When Chiharu thanks Chika for supporting Satowa, he shyly says “it’s usually him who’s being helped”
When Chiharu tells Chika she holds the club very dearly, he blushes and thanks her. Satowa wonders “what are they talking about?”.
Chapter 55:
Satowa remembers how Chika asked her if she wanted to go see his gramps with him. She startles when other classmates pass by and rejects his invitation. She regrets it deeply and thinks to herself “she should have gone with him. She wanted to go”
Chapter 56:
Satowa thinks how glad she met everyone in the club, after telling them she has gone back home. Chika, looking at her face, unconsciously reaches out to her and pats her head. They both startle
Chika thinks to himself “He touched her without thinking. Am I an idiot” he also thinks “He needs to be careful or she could go back to avoiding him”
Satowa touches her head where Chika’s hand was and blushes
Chapter 57:
When Hiro finds out how clumsy Satowa is, Satowa tells her she really can’t do anything but koto. And then tells her she can’t even make monja. That “Kudo told her to just ‘shut up and eat’”, implying Chika took over and made the monja for her
Hiro mentions how everyone will be happy about the cake, especially Chika since it has strawberries. Satowa pauses while drinking her tea when she hears that, and Hiro notices. She then asks if there’s anybody she likes now.
Chapter 58:
The koto club is meeting at the train station, and Chika and Satowa come over bantering with each other about Satowa leading them in the wrong direction.
Kiyoka, Takinami’s sister, comes out to greet the koto club in a bathrobe. Chika is appreciative of her beauty, and Satowa looks at him with a stern face.
Chapter 59:
Satowa sees Chika is nervous about performing in such an adverse environment. Satowa looks at him and asks what is he so afraid of. “It’s not like you. We just have to play normally”
Chika struggles while performing, and listening to Satowa’s unwavering sound, he remembers her words. Her sound guides him to find equilibrium on his own.
Satowa looks at Chika and seeing that he has settled, she smiles to herself.
When Chika feels proud of himself when people praise their performance, Satowa reminds him not to get carried away. Chika blushes and says he isn’t but she says “His face is telling differently”
When Chika asks Satowa if she can do the sex appeal thing, she says that she is certainly better than him but has still a lot to learn. He is about to take offense but then remembers how her steady sound guided him through the performance. He thinks to himself that “after Tenkyuu, he thought that they were equal now, but…”
Chika promises Satowa he will catch up to her by Nationals. “Just watch me. I will definitely catch up to you by Nationals”. Satowa challenges him and says “Then it’s a promise” with a huge smile on her face.
Seeing her smile, Chika blushes and turns away.
Chapter 60:
Satowa, seeing that she is again in the same class as Chika, is giddy. Chika comes in behind her and points out how they are again together. She then says “Excuse me for ending up together” with a frown. Chika is puzzled and tells her “Why? I’m happy about it”
Satowa thinks to herself “She is probably much happier than Kudou”.
Seeing that Yoshinaga is feeling intimidated by Chika’s proximity, Satowa grabs him and pulls him back. “Stop that, can’t you see he’s scared?”
61-70
Chapter 63
Chika comes back to the clubroom after Yoshinaga says he no longer wants to be taught by Chika. Chika tries to claim that he just can’t do it, not mentioning that Yoshinaga said anything at all. Satowa calls Chika out on giving up too easily and tells him if he doesn’t teach Yoshinaga no one will. Satowa finally gets to the point of why she’s telling him this by saying “I don’t want to go to Nationals with somebody you give up on in just thirty minutes.” Chika leaves without another word, realizing that he shouldn’t have given up so easily. Takinami points out that Satowa wouldn’t have said something like that if she didn’t trust Chika 100%
Chapter 65
As Chika walks into class, he stops by Satowa’s desk and thanks her for saying what she said yesterday (the previous moment). They look at each other for a moment, Chika having a very slight blush before he awkwardly says that’s it and walks away. Satowa grabs her heart and leans over her desk with an intense blush and smiles. Then she starts kicking her legs out of excitement. Her friends notice and tell her to calm down.
Chapter 67
Satowa decides not to tell the club about the revitalization concert that will reinstate her as the Houzuki heir. Kazusa alludes to the fact that something is happening with Satowa and Chika doesn’t know about it, but she doesn't tell him
Chika arrives late to school and there’s a rumor going around that Chika was arguing with a girl from another school. Satowa is shocked and upset to hear the rumor. As he enters class, their eyes meet and then Satowa turns away without thinking. Chika walks by her, confused. They both think about what could be happening with the other that they haven’t told each other.
Everyone makes plans for the weekend, so Satowa resolves to stick with her decision not to tell the club about her concert
Some of the guys start talking about the rumor about Chika and Chika doesn’t want to explain what really happened because he wants to respect Kazusa. As the guys gang up on him, Chika asks for Satowa’s help, but she says to him “is it something you can’t talk about with us?” The guys immediately stop play-fighting, and Chika asks why Satowa is so angry. She denies that she’s angry, then Chika remembers what Kasuza said, and says to Satowa “Houzuki, even you don’t talk about everything with us, do you?” Satowa is surprised, and then Chika turns and walks away.
That night, Satowa can’t make the sounds she wants while practicing, realizing that she hates the idea that she doesn’t know about someone in Chika’s life. She questions when she got so selfish, then remembers many things that Chika has done for her and said to her and she decides to call him.
Chika is still thinking about what he said to Satowa when he gets the phone call from her. He answers. Satowa apologizes for her behavior and then tells him about the revitalization concert. When he hears that she’ll be reinstated as the Houzuki successor he’s happy for her and says so. She then invites him to come to the performance. He accepts with a smile
Chapter 68
The next day at school, he asks her if they should tell anyone else about the performance. He says the club should at least know about it before it happens, and she says that she’ll mention it in the club. He smiles at her and she scurries off flustered. Tetsuki comments to Chika that he and Satowa had a “good mood going”
Chika smiles seeing how happy Satowa is after telling everyone in the club
Upon Isaki’s request, Chika goes to buy Satowa a flower, but he doesn’t have enough money to buy her even a mini bouquet. The florist suggests picking one, meaningful flower and then asks Chika questions so she can help pick a flower. He begins describing Satowa as strong but weak sometimes, cool when she performs, and when he’s asked if she is cute or beautiful he responds that she’s both.
Chapter 69
Satowa plays On a Sepia Wind, the very first song Chika ever heard her play. Chika realizes that he’s forgotten just how far away she is from him. He starts questioning how he could ever say “I’ll definitely catch up to you by Nationals!” to her. Then he remembers how she made it into a promise (in chapter 59) and begins paying attention to her performance again, determined to catch up to her.
After the concert, Chika gets nervous to talk to Satowa, but her face lights up when she sees him and the club and she excuses herself to go talk to them. She tries to comment on his outfit but gets cut off. Chika remembers someone’s earlier comment questioning how many people actually came to celebrate her today, so he pulls out the flower and gives it to her, simply saying “here, i-it’s for you.” She’s confused at first, and Chika starts questioning himself, but then Satowa smiles as she takes the flower. After a moment, she realizes that she’s just been staring at it and so she thanks him for it.
After the rest of the club shows up, Chika is spaced out thinking about how much he wanted to hug Satowa when giving her the flower, then reprimands himself thinking that he needs to be careful not to touch her
Chapter 70
The next day, Chika is still thinking about Satowa and the smile she had when he gave her the flower.
Both Isaki and Tetsuki ask Chika about yesterday with Satowa. In the classroom, Chika looks away from Satowa, and Tetsuki notices
Satowa gets a new cellphone so now she can join an app to talk to everyone. When her phone displays that she and Chika are friends on this app she smiles and Chika reaches out his hand to pat her head before he pulls himself away. Chika once again chastises himself for trying to touch her, not wanting the incident from ch.29 to repeat itself
71-80
Chapter 74:
When Satowa and Hiro discuss with Isaki how to achieve an “erotic sound”, the conversation derives into love talk. Isaki tells them that “Unconditionally loving somebody and spending normal, everyday life together, in the end, is quite amazing and special. Satowa blushes while thinking to herself.
Isaki asks Satowa to go wake up Chika since she believes he would rise immediately if his “rival” came to wake him up.
When Satowa thinks about Chika only considering her a rival, she gets a little depressed and tells herself “yeah, that’s right. I knew that”. She then remembers Isaki’s words of “just unconditionally loving somebody and spending everyday life together”, and thinks to herself “I’m fine with that”.
Satowa sees Chika sleeping, and goes to touch his forehead. She then remembers she is just a “rival” to him and retreats her hand.
Satowa tries to wake Chika up but is not working at all. She says that “while he is sleeping, she will be practicing until she reaches a place where he can’t hope to catch up to.” Chika, still asleep, grabs her hand and says “No” while pulling her to him
Chika hugs Satowa while sleeping and squeezes her to himself. They are completely tangled together and Satowa is blushing like never before.
With a broken voice, Satowa calls out to Chika, which wakes him up, only to see Satowa is in his arms and her face is just inches away from his.
Chika immediately retreats with a full-body flush, without understanding what is going on. Satowa runs off with a full-body flush of her own after telling him with a shaky voice that morning practice is starting.
Chika freaks out still not understanding anything but believing he did something awful to her, that could make her avoid him again. (see chapter 29, 30)
Satowa, running to morning practice, falls to her knees and says to herself “Why… when you don’t even know how I feel”
Chika and Satowa end up sitting together on the bus on their way to see Ichiei’s performance. The atmosphere is heavy and awkward. Chika wants to apologize for the whole incident but “can’t look at her face”
In the end, Satowa is the first one to breach the topic and says “you were sleepy and mistook me for a pillow.” She brushes it off saying that “Those things happen!”
Chika is not really happy with just that and tells him that “he’s horrible and made her feel scared”. He gets depressed when he thinks that Satowa was the one that had to speak first.
Chika clarifies that she was just surprised. “They are together all the time, so at this point, she is not scared of him in any way”
Chika smiles earnestly while saying “I’m glad”.
Satowa is hit with the full force of that smile. When he asks if she’s ok, she says that she is fine while blushing
Chapter 75:
The club is looking at Ichiei members’ backgrounds and gets intimidated by how many awards they have. Chika snaps and says “What’s that gotta do with anything. If it’s about prizes, Hozuki’s got a ton!”
He asks her if she doesn’t have first place awards as well, and when Satowa replies that she has, he looks relieved and very proud. Sane asks “What is he so happy about”
Chapter 76:
Luka hugs Satowa immediately after spotting her. Chika pulls her to his chest and pushes Luka away from her. With an angry face, he says “What the hell is your deal?”
Still pressed against Chika’s chest, Satowa blushes furiously.
Chika gets irked when Luka refers to Satow without honorifics.
Chapter 77:
When Sane wonders “how are they supposed to catch up to Ichiei?” Chika tells him that it is not about “catching up'' but overtaking them. “We are trying to catch up to Hozuki. If we can’t overtake them we can forget about catching up to her”
81-90
Chapter 83
Chika and Satowa are practicing together when Satowa asks Chika if everything will be okay between Momoya and Mittsu. Chika reassures that they’ll be fine then tells her to get back to her own practicing, saying that he’ll catch up to her in no time if she doesn’t focus on her own playing.
Chapter 86
The whole club is sitting in a circle figuring out their problems with playing the song, and Chika mentions that his sound is off for some reason. Satowa asks to see his koto nails so he gives her his hand. She realizes his nails are rounded, but before she can finish giving her explanation he realizes that she’s touching him so he pulls his hand away. They’re both surprised by this, and he says that it was a self-defense reflex. She finishes telling him to switch his nails, but she’s really thinking about how he shook her hand off.
Chapter 87
When Satowa pointedly looks away from Chika, he starts questioning if he did something wrong, then remembers the other day when he pulled his hand away and tries to get her attention but is interrupted.
Chapter 89
Upon Satowa’s recommendation, Chika gets new nails. Granny asks Satowa to bring Chika his old nail bands, but instead of handing them to him, Satowa puts them on the ground near him instead.
Satowa just tries to leave, but Chika won’t let her go without asking her what that was and accusing her of avoiding him. She claims she’s not avoiding him, only being mindful about not touching him because she thinks he doesn’t want to come in contact with her. He’s confused, but then remembers how he pulled his hand away. Chika asks her if she’s still mad about when he brushed her hand away. Satowa gets teary-eyed and tries to leave the room, saying that she’s not mad about it.
Chika chases after her, saying he knows she’s angry and “Don’t tell me I hurt you or-” Satowa cuts him off saying that he didn’t hurt her. She begins ranting to Chika “You’ve avoided touching me because you avoid people like germs, right!?” He’s aggravated and says he never said that. She brings up how he said that it was a self-defense reflex and he stops her by grabbing her wrist and pulling her to face him. He says “That reflex was for me so I don’t put my hands on you all the time!”
Chapter 90
The chapter picks up right from where the last one left off, and Satowa reads what Chika said completely wrong, thinking he’s talking about hitting her. He says that’s of course not what he meant and drops her wrist. “I”m saying that I’m the germ,” he says and goes on to explain the number of times he’s made her uncomfortable despite trying to be careful and finally apologizes. Chika walks away after that.
At home later that night, Satowa runs through the conversation in her head and feels terrible that she distracted the club by acting childishly and that she made Chika apologize again. She’s embarrassed and feels awful, but she pulls herself together to practice more.
The next day, Satowa apologizes to Chika at the club. She says that she hasn’t been angry and that Chika has never made her feel uncomfortable. Chika is surprised but happy to hear it.
Takinami says something that Chika doesn’t understand. When Chika expresses his confusion, Satowa explains and gives her own interpretation. What she says gives Chika an idea which leads to him asking if he can go to her place after the club to listen to music. Everyone wants to come along as well, but Takezou points out that that’d be too many people, so Momoya suggests that Chika should go alone as a representative. Chika and Satowa realize that they’ll be alone with each other.
91-100
Chapter 91:
Chika and Satowa are on the train on their way to Satowa’s house. Satowa loses her balance and bumps into Chika’s chest. Blushing, she apologizes. Chika thinks to himself that “She’s so light”
Chika asks Satowa how things are with her mom. She says that thanks to everyone everything is alright. She then goes to ask about Chika’s mother but stops herself, realizing “Despite how they’re together all the time, there are so many things she doesn’t know about him”
Chika sees the flower he gave Satowa in the rehabilitation concert (chapter 69) at the entrance of her house. Chiharu explains that Satowa was worried it would wither so she pressed and framed it. Chika is incredibly touched.
Satowa pushes Chika so he isn’t staring at the flower anymore. He mentions how she received “plenty of them that day, didn’t she”. Satowa answers that “This one was the most beautiful!”.
Chika glows after hearing this, and teases her about her normally being so clumsy, “But I’m glad you managed to make it look nice”. Chiharu chuckles in the background.
Chiharu is about to leave them alone in their business. Satowa stops her from leaving with the excuse of “not knowing where the songs are”. She is just embarrassed about being alone with Chika.
Chiharu explains the meaning of ‘Seoto’. Makes says how the part they are listening to sounds like “a river where kids can play”. Satowa wonders “what’s with that analogy?”
Once Chiharu is done explaining, she apologizes for talking so much. Chika formally says that he learned a lot. Satowa realizes he is making an effort to speak politely to her mom and tells him “He doesn’t have to be so polite”
Chiharu tells them she is going to make them some tea, but again Satowa stops her from leaving them alone by saying she will do it.
While searching for something to eat with the tea, she realizes “there aren’t any sweets Kudo would like…” she says that “at the very least, she needs something sweet”. Ends up taking the Youkan with her.
Chika asks Chiharu about the space between sounds. Chiharu, to explain the concept, asks him what does he think of Satowa.
He says “He thinks she is cool, especially when she is playing”. He explains that her sound has a good posture, that it never wavers. He wonders if she accumulated that on purpose.
To himself, he thinks that he often thinks that “he has no right to play together with her” “Lining up beside her, a person who devoted her life to koto, living a life she can be proud of, is something he can’t stomach”
Thinking Chiharu’s question “What do you think of Satowa?” his mind flashes to the moment he gave her the flower, and her face when she receive it. It then flashes to the club poster.
“What I think of Hozuki…. I admire her from the bottom of my heart” he replies to Chiharu. Satowa hears him say it.
Chiharu tells him that “The pauses between his words were packed full of feeling and kindness. Even if I couldn’t hear them… they were conveyed perfectly” with a warm smile on her face, having finished her explanation about ‘The pause between sounds’
Chika is going home with the disks. Satowa, before he goes, asks him if he remembers that he said: “That he’d catch up to her by Nationals” (chapter 59). With a serious face, she asks him to “Catch up to her. Catch up”. Chika tells her that of course he will “Just you wait”. Satowa smiles fondly and she teases him, since “she won’t be waiting though”
Chapter 92:
Hiro wonders what happened in the end between Satowa and Chika. She thinks about how everything was normal that morning, and wonders why no one is bothered by what went down at Nishina’s. Satowa seeing her distracted asks if she is ok. Hiro recalls Satowa saying that “she will never cause trouble again” referring to her feelings for Chika. Hiro thinks that even though Satowa has put her emotions in order, she wants to tell her that her feelings and emotions are not a burden to anyone in the club.
After club Hiro stops Satowa to talk to her privately. When they are alone, she tells her that is about Chika and addresses the fact that Satowa said something about “Never causing trouble for the club again”. Satowa interrupts her and apologizes for her behavior, telling her that it was childish and unacceptable. Satowa is incredibly distressed and goes to tell she can rest assured that her emotions won’t cause trouble again, but Hiro interrupts her saying “She thinks is important to treasure that”
Hiro explains that she understands that Satowa thought that since “everyone is putting their all into the club, she wished she could hide those emotions, thinking they were unwanted or improper”
Hiro says to Satowa what Takinami told her once “You might as well make that into your strength”. Satowa is terrified of using her emotions in koto because there was a time she lost her mom exactly because of that. She says that “Again… I could do something wrong and then…”
Hiro recalls Chika saying “He is the germ” and realizes they are both very similar, in the way they care for each other and the club so much they forget to care for themselves.
Hiro tells Satowa that she is allowed to take care of herself as well. Satowa thanks Hiro, and thinks about Hiro’s words while Chika’s face flashes on her mind.
Chapter 99:
Satowa and Tetsuki wake Chika from a nightmare about his past. He is in class drenched in sweat. Satowa wonders why he is sweating so much and takes out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his face. She realizes what she is doing and goes to pull away, but Chika takes her hand to keep it on his face.
Satowa blushes and Tetsuki reminds them that they got club activities. Chika, still not letting go of Satowa’s hand, rushes to go to the club room.
In the middle of the hallway, Satowa points out that he is still holding her hand. Chika immediately lets go of her and berates himself since he didn’t realize what he was doing.
Satowa asks if everything is ok, realizing he is acting odd. Chika says everythings is fine. He changes the subject to talk about their solos. Chika is surprised to hear she hasn’t perfected her solo, and she scolds him saying that “there is no way something like that is her perfect”. Chika, hearing her explanation as to why her solo is not perfect yet. Chika pouts and dashes, telling her to “not put any more distance between them”
Satowa thinks about Chika saying that “everything was fine”. She thinks about how cold his hand was despite being drenched in sweat. And she wishes that “they’d stayed connected”.
Chapter 100:
Chika and Satowa bicker while going to the club room. Satowa is helping Chika with some mock exam questions.
After Chika rushes into the room in a panic after seeing the poster saying “Welcome back”, Satowa watches him intently.
The next day Satowa says that “His sound’s been a mess since yesterday” after Takezou asked him if something was wrong with him. Chika brushes them off with an excuse about him being nervous with exams coming up.
101-110
Chapter 102:
Uzuki comes out of the blue to greet Chika with the rest of the club there. Chika gets angry at Uzuki and his taunting but Satowa grabs onto Chika’s sleeve to get his attention. Chika instantly snaps out of it. They share a moment just looking at each other, which Uzuki smirks at. Chika, remembering that Uzuki is right there, moves to cover Satowa, which Satowa isn’t too happy about.
As Chika leaves, Uzuki tries to get his attention again, but Satowa stops him and glares at him, not letting him take up any more of Chika’s time.
Satowa notices how down Chika is, and tells both him and Momoya that it will be fine now that everyone knows the situation
Chapter 103:
After Uzuki uploads the video of Chika fighting in his gang days, Chika and Satowa arrive at class, and the atmosphere is off. Satowa’s friends come running to them and to ask if the koto club is ok. Chika wonders what is going on, and they hesitate to tell him. Chika asks them to show them [the video].
Tetsuki tries to stop him from watching it, but Chika says that something happened and it’s about him, and he can’t just be kept in the dark. Satowa tells Shuu-chan to give her the phone, but Chika goes to stop her saying that “She shouldn’t look” in a foreboding way.
Satowa makes an angry expression and tells Shuu-chan to give her the phone. She then turns to Chika and tells him that “If they watch together, it won’t be as scary, right?” (parallel to chapter 32)
After seeing the comments to the video, Satowa looks angry and heartbroken. Chika looks sad and resigned
In the club room, Chika apologizes because the whole incident has caused the club activities to be put on pause. With Chika’s apology, we see Satowa’s sad expression and red-rimmed eyes.
Chapter 104
Satowa and her mom have a conversation about Chika. Satowa says she hates seeing the comments people made about Chika, but that she treated him the same way when she first met him and she can’t forgive herself for that. She wishes she could erase that experience from him and leave only her regret. But because nothing can be done about the past, right now she’ll never again let go of Chika’s hand.
Chika doesn’t feel like eating at lunch, so Tetsuki employs Satowa’s help to get him to eat. Satowa says he can leave it to her. She shares her lunch with Chika, even giving her a strawberry treat. Chika says the food is good and is about to ask Satowa what she thinks about him, remembering Takinami’s words from earlier in the chapter, before getting interrupted by a text from Uzuki. Chika quickly finishes the meal and then tries to leave, but Satowa grabs his wrist. When she asks where he’s going, he says he’s just going to the bathroom and she let’s go. He smiles at her and leaves, but she can sense that something is wrong, so she decides to follow him, thinking to herself that she won’t let him stand alone.
Chapter 105:
Satowa evaluates the situation Chika is in and decides she can’t get out since she would get in the way. She hesitates to call the police since Chika was wrongly charged in middle school. She decides she needs to be careful if she doesn’t want the situation to get out of hand.
Hearing Chika’s story about how he used his fists to shout out, but now is not the same, since he has koto, Satowa tearfully records the whole situation while hiding.
Chika bows down and tells Uzuki & Co. that she wants to be with them [the club], and asks them to leave the club alone, and not their hands on them. Satowa cries in earnest.
Abiko is about to crush Chika’s hand with a steel pipe, but Satowa intercepts him with her school bag, coming out of her hiding spot.
With tears on her face, she shouts “What is this ‘it’s all Chika’s fault’ idiocy!? I’m not going to let you continue this any longer!! I’m taking Kudo home!!”
Chapter 106:
Chika questions why Satowa is there, and she calls him an idiot for always running off alone when anything important happens. She asks if they’re that unreliable to him. He tries to tell her that of course, they’re reliable, but she barrels on saying she has no interest in being protected all the time.
As Abiko starts to threaten Satowa, Satowa kneels down on the ground in front of Chika, determined to protect him even as he pulls her arm and tries to tell her to stop. She just turns around and hugs Chika close.
Uzuki asks Satowa why she’s doing this, “Who are you to Chika?” Uzuki goes on to say that she’s not Chika’s girlfriend or anyone special, just another club member and classmate who’s from the opposite world to Chika’s. He asks again why she’d go to this extent for someone like Chika when she has no reason to. Chika tries to pull Satowa off of him, begging her to let go, but she only holds on tighter, proclaiming in response to Uzuki’s questions “Because I love him! Because I really love Kudou!!!” Chika is dumbfounded as she continues to say that she wants to protect him and treasure him and wants him to be happy. She then asks “What’s wrong with that!? You got something to complain about!? That’s why… I’m not letting go,” and she hugs Chika tighter, burying her face in his shoulder. Chika begins to cry as Satowa says she won’t be torn away.
Chika then remembers his grandpa’s last request: for him to become happy. But to become happy, Chika has to reach out and grasp it for himself as well as let other people help. Thinking of this, Chika hugs Satowa back tightly, finally grasping onto happiness as he hugs her.
After seeing this, Uzuki tries to swing a bat at Chika and Satowa. Chika notices and twists Satowa away from the incoming attack.
Chapter 108:
Takezou takes out the withdrawal notice Chika tried to give Takinami. Satowa looks angry when seeing it. Everyone starts scolding Chika and Satowa tells them that “Kudo is really looking down on them all”
Chapter 109:
Hiro and Satowa talk about the confession at Hiro’s house. Hiro didn’t expect something like that to happen. Satowa clarifies that she didn’t think it would come to that either, but hearing them [Uzuki & Co.] say that Chika was alone and that nobody loved him, and he taking it all in… “ she got really angry”
Hiro asks about Chika’s reaction. Satowa says he acted very normal, and wonders to herself if maybe the hug (chapter 106) didn’t hold any special meaning. In the end, she tells Hiro that she is happy as long as the club is at peace and Chika is smiling
Kota asks Satowa if he can watch the video she took as evidence against Uzuki & Co. She gives him her phone for him to watch it. After getting distracted by Takinami telling them they are confirmed to go to Nationals without any issues, Kota realizes the video is still going. Everyone then hears Satowa’s confession (chapter 106), since she inadvertently recorded it as well. “Because I really, really love Kudo!!!”
Everyone is scrambling without knowing what to do. They all start telling Chika that they love him “as a kohai” and “friend”, trying to cover up for Satowa. Chika looks puzzled at them.
Satowa is kicking herself, thinking about how now the atmosphere is weird, and it’s her fault. Chika, seeing Satowa’s embarrassed face, calls out to her. “Hey, Hozuki”. Satowa tearfully looks up at him “I really, really love you too, Hozuki” he tells her with a bright smile on his face.
Everyone freaks out.
Chapter 110:
Satowa stayed up all night thinking about the confession. She doesn’t know how to face Chika. She thought about it so much, she psychs herself out of it being romantic “He seemed so blasé about the whole thing. Is Kudo after all, what if he was going with the flow, or he meant it as friends!?” “But despite that…” Satowa squeals in bed.
She scolds herself for thinking about it so much since Nationals are so close.
Satowa intends on teasing Chika about his public confession. He seems unfazed by it, and Isaki fearfully asks him if he meant he loved her as a friend.
Chika replies saying that “He does love her as a friend as well”
Isaki blushes hearing this and asks him how is he so calm when in the past any Satowa related teasing would make him squirm and blush. With Satowa’s distressed face in mind (chapter 109), Chika says that “He doesn’t want to make this into something to be ‘embarrassed’ about. To have somebody convey their love for him and then be able to say he loves them back, he just thought how happy he was to experience that.
Satowa arrives at the club room and doesn’t know how to act. Chika asks her about the title of the Nationals song. Satowa really likes his idea on how to interpret it, and with her embarrassment forgotten, she asks him to help her practice. Chika with a small full of love watches her set herself up
Everyone arrives at the club room and wonders why they are acting so normal. They wonder if Chika’s confession was a mirage, and Kota says “Maybe they’re just a couple of koto idiots”
Hiro is amazed by how normal they are both acting and thinks that “If it was me, I wouldn’t be able to properly…” but cuts that train of thought when she sees Satowa’s face, glowing with happiness, and just outright giddy.
Seeing that Momoya has come to morning practice for the first time, Mittsu says that “Maybe Chika’s confession altered their dimension!!” Chika sternly says “Hey, now”
