Chapter 3

**Yoshimoto-san** (好本さん *Yoshimoto-san*) is the third chapter of the *100 Kanojo* manga.

## Summary

Rentarou, Hakari and Karane head to the library so the two girls can look at some cooking books. While reaching for a romance novel, Rentarou zings with his 3rd soulmate, a student library staff member named Yoshimoto Shizuka, who happened to be reaching for the same book as he was. He hands her the book from the shelf, and she uses it to introduce herself as ‘the one who governs this land’. Rentarou mistakes her use of a book to communicate as a sign that he shouldn’t be talking in the library and quickly switches to using hand gestures to communicate, much to Shizuka’s confusion. She states that she is poor at making conversation while still using the book, and attempts to seek assistance before Rentarou stops her, asking if she can help him search for romance novels. Shizuka quickly agrees and scours the library for dozens of different romance novels that she recommends. However, Rentarou is unable to borrow any of them, despite his desire to borrow all of them, due to not having a library card. After a quick thought, Shizuka decides to lend her book to Rentarou and formally introduces herself by showing her student ID. Rentarou binges the entire novel in a single evening before reflecting on what the Love God said a few days prior: “Soulmates… If they cannot fall in love and find happiness, they will die.”.

The next day, Rentarou approaches Shizuka after class to thank her and hand the book back. She nervously presents Rentarou with the 2nd volume of the series to borrow, to which he responds by inviting her outside for a drink as a thanks for letting him borrow the series. The two of them have a conversation about books, during which Rentarou realises that she uses her favourite novel to communicate with others, which he finds quite amazing. Shizuka thanks Rentarou for being her friend and not hating her for the way she communicates. He puzzles her by asking to borrow the 1st volume of the series again, which she agrees to.

Shizuka is confused as Rentarou doesn’t approach her for the next 3 days. While wandering through the school, she sees Rentarou, Hakari, and Karane sat on a bench together. Their behaviour communicates to her that Rentarou is already in a relationship, which makes her feel depressed as she believes that Rentarou wouldn’t have the time to read books and spend time with her because she is creepy. She remembers her past when she was bullied in middle school and hit by her mother for being unable to speak properly.

Later in the day, Rentarou approaches Shizuka while she’s on library duty and asks to speak with her. He states that he would like to repay her for letting him borrow her book. He asks Shizuka to install a text-to-speech app which allows her to look into other people’s eyes whilst holding a conversation. The previous 3 evenings, Rentarou has been copying Shizuka’s favourite novel into an E-book for her to use in conjunction with the app. He asks her to try saying anything to him, in which she responds by saying that she likes him. Shizuka begins crying and asks Rentarou to ignore her because she knows that he is already in love with someone else. However, Rentarou ignores her, saying that he loves her too. Shizuka believes that the two of them can’t be in love because fate says they can’t but Rentarou claims that they will overcome that fate together.

Rentarou then asks Hakari and Karane if they’ll accept Shizuka as his newest girlfriend. Hakari readily agrees but Karane is initially against it. She soon agrees though after Rentarou shows his resolve to love them all equally, part of which involves committing seppuku if they believe he isn’t living up to his promise.

## Characters

* Aijou Rentarou
* Hanazono Hakari
* Inda Karane
* Yoshimoto Shizuka

## Quote

**Beginning:** Gaining Knowledge For Your Sake... It's the Scenery of Nurtured Love.

**End:** Fully Resolved, Right to the Edge.

**Next Chapter:** A 'Lovey-Dovey,' 'Heart-Wrenching,' And 'Feet Stamping' Three-Way Lunch!

## Trivia

* On page 25, Hakari in a spotlight is a reference to a scene from the boxing series Ashita no Joe.
* Rentarou calls Karane his Gradivus, which is a reference to Mars Gradivus and the Roman God Mars.