Chapter 44: We're Using LINE

**We're Using LINE** is the forty-forth Chapter of *Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu*. It is the final Chapter of Volume 3.

## Summary

Following the events of the last chapter, Yamada and Ichikawa are walking home and she is talking about how to best make Natto. He sheepishly interjects that he isn't fond of it, and she tells him to speak up sooner next time, causing him to consider how different their tastes are. He begins to break away, as their paths diverge here, but she grabs his bike and asks to talk a bit longer. She changes the conversation to the upcoming Winter Break, asking what his plans are. He says that he has plans to go with his family to his paternal grandparent's house in Akita, near the end of the year. The name of the place makes Yamada think of a foodstuff and an infamous yokai, both of which are associated with the area. She then pulls out her phone and goes over her calendar, with her eyes set on Christmas Eve as he clarifies he'll only be gone for four days. While she contemplates, he remembers that he has her copy of *Your Color's Octave* and opens his bag to give it back to her. She asks for his opinion, and he says it was surprisingly good. She asks for his best part, and begins fishing through the manga to find her own. He says that he likes the part where the two main characters were sharing messages in a notebook, and she is shocked, as she has already turned to that page to show that as her favorite, and says as much. She talks about giving him the second volume, but says she'll bring it on Monday instead. She hastily grabs his bike and starts walking off, saying her goodbye, before he realizes what she's done and chases after her. She gives up on her prank and they go their separate ways.

The following Monday, class has started, and Moe is complaining about her inability to get a "boifwi," while Serina consoles her. Ichikawa considers his next two school-less weeks, and Yamada walks up to him, apologizing for forgetting the manga and clasping her hands together in apology. He says it's fine, and she offers to bring it tomorrow, to which he, almost in disbelief at her airheadedness, reminds her that they start vacation after today. She offers to meet up with him somewhere during break and hand it over then, and he says she doesn't have to go that far, but she insists, saying that the part he's on is a massive cliffhanger. She takes out her phone and asks for his LINE, stunning him. He recovers and takes out his phone, and the two trade contacts. She makes a pun about "tomorrow" and "Kyou," and heads out the door.

* Bonus art is of Ichikawa in diguise, and Yamada in her sweat outfit.

## Trivia

* Yamada likely didn't "forget" the next volume of Your Color's Octave, and was just using her "forgetfulness" as an excuse to plan out their meetup without having to invite him directly. She even acts as if she has the next volume in her bag when he hands the previous one over, but gets an exclamation point thought bubble to drive home that she was making a plan up in her head.

* This may be the first chapter that Serina truly realizes that something is going on between the two, as she gives Yamada a side-eye in the panel where she offers to meet up with Ichikawa during break to give him the manga.

* A bit of forth-wall breaking happens when Yamada hypes up the next volume of the manga, saying that it ends on a big cliffhanger at the end of the third volume. This mirrors the events of this same chapter, which is the final chapter of the third volume, and happens right before the big, planned Christmas event.