Chapter 99: We Made A Promise

**We Made A Promise** is the ninety-ninth Chapter of *Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu*.

## Summary

After asking Niko if she is Pigman, Yamada asks what is wrong with him, blurting out something so rude. He realizes his hypothesis is absurd, but notices that she is shaking her glass out of nervousness, and he realizes that it all adds up. At that moment, he is given his order, a suspiciously large bowl of ramen that he believes must be a mistake because of his request for a small, but the waiter insists the order is right. He thinks on how this is one of those "batch" ramen shops, that take in customers in small groups of five, and if you don't eat quickly you'll be considered a disruptor and be hated. He begins eating his sizable portion, but Yamada finishes first way before him, leaving him amazed. Two other customers finish before Ichikawa and Niko, leaving only them at the desk, while Niko mutters about needing to escape in a panic. He realizes he still needs to address the situation, and tells her that he is @thanatos\_moros, but she doesn't recognize the name due to instantly blocking him. He attempts instead to find common ground, saying they are both fans of Anna, and she starts singing her praises, but he considers that even if there are more enthusiastic fans in the future, he knows her the best. He finishes his meal and declares victory, placing his bowl on the upper table as Niko suggests. He then walks out to meet with Yamada.

Outside, she complains that he took so long, and he asks if she got taller since he saw her last, with her comparing him to a relative and saying it's just because of the heels. She mentions that *his* shoes are mismatched, a white one and a black one, and asks if he came in a rush, but he tries to blow it off as part of a style. Niko meets up with them, staring, and he thinks back to her unhinged rants, but instead she begs for a picture of Yamada's face with the expression she just made. Yamada grabs her hands and declares that she admires Niko, saying she is far beyond her in terms of modeling talent, and leaving her blushing. Ichikawa concludes that their admiration is mutual as Yamada asks for her to go out to lunch again in the future. Niko raises a hand in rejection, saying she is the type to keep an appropriate distance from her idols, which Ichikawa finds creepily otaku-like. She begins heading off, but he grabs her by the bag, telling her to never give out Yamada's personal information on her account. She tries to play dumb, but asks for a picture of her at school, which he denies, and for the school's name, also denied, but instead sends him her contact information. Yamada begins asking why continuously as he questions the same thing in his head.

On the train home, Yamada leans her head on his shoulder, apologizing for making him worry about her due to the incident with her phone. He says it's his fault for having such pessimistic delusions, but warns her that there are a lot of people in the world who are malicious and want to harm celebrities. He tells her to be more careful about information she posts on Instagram, and to be mindful of her distance when others are around. She considers his words, looking down at his mismatched shoes, and says she doesn't want to worry him anymore, and that she'll try and be more grown up. Evil Nigorikawa calls this suggestive, and he demands he shut up in his mind.

The next day is the start of a new year of school. Ichikawa runs into Moe, who declares that he's in the same class as her, but he is uninterested, leaving her annoyed. He has been avoiding thinking about the class change, but looks for his name on the list, avoiding everyone else's, concluding that it is a small world. He heads to his class as he gets a message from Yamada saying she only checked for her name as well. He opens the door to his new homeroom, and Yamada is there to meet him, loudly yelling his name and dashing over to grab his hands in front of everyone. He realizes that his talk of maintaining an appropriate distance has been ignored.

## Trivia

* This is the first appearance of Kanna Andou, though she will not have a proper introduction until the next chapter.