Kokuhaku Yokou Renshuu: Yakimochi no Kotae

***Kokuhaku Yokou Renshuu: Yakimochi no Kotae*** is the second volume of the *Kokuhaku Yokou Renshuu* light novel series. This novel expands on the premise of the *Love Series* song Yakimochi no Kotae.

## Synopsis

### Introduction

Haruki comes back to Japan after being abroad for so long. He reveals that he comes to visit Japan annually, but stopped because of work three years prior. This particular visit was for the wedding of two of his closest friends, and they've been meaning to get him time off because he doesn't talk to anyone besides family these days.
When he gets into the airport lobby, he finds Miou's old sketchbook and looks through it, wondering how she's doing. His reminiscing leads into the rest of the novel.

## Trivia

* On the week of January 2 2015, this novel ranked #2 on the Oricon Weekly Rankings list.

**Differences Between Adaptations**

* *Zutto Mae Kara Suki Deshita. ~Kokuhaku Jikkou Iinkai~* includes a comic relief personification of Sota's innermost thoughts, represented as a shoulder devil.
* In *HoneyWorks Premium Live's* retelling in the Main Story, Sota and Akari do not contact each other for the Film Club's final project, making the time when Sota informed her of her bedhead the second overall interaction she had with him. He only starts referencing his Club when he relates to Akari's artist's block during their get-together at Hoshiya. Akari's artistic subplot is her attempt to depict Natsuki in love, but she doesn't quite get how she's supposed to convey the feeling until she falls in love with Sota.
* The time in which Sota befriends Koyuki often varies:
	+ It is never shown onscreen in the music video continuity, with Koyuki's most significant interactions being with Natsuki and Yu.
	+ In *Yakimochi no Kotae - Short Story*, Koyuki makes friends with Sota while running away from his newfound admirers as he does here, but Koyuki learns of Sota's personal nickname for him the same day as when he befriends the latter boy rather than during summer break.
	+ In *Premium Live*, Koyuki bonded and exchanged nicknames with Sota at least a year before Koyuki cut his hair. As a result, they are already friends by the time Sota initially asks out Akari. Koyuki is consequently friendlier and less passive-aggressive to Yu, is on more familiar terms with the rest of Natsuki's friend group, and doesn't pick a fight with Yu after his date with Natsuki.
* In both the movie and *Premium Live*, Haruki's practice confession to Natsuki plays no role in the arc and neither Sota nor Akari develop a misunderstanding that Haruki might like Natsuki (or in Sota's case, that Akari might like Sota). In the game, Sota and Akari decide to watch a movie together instead.
* Rather than developing a one-sided crush on Akari at the beginning of their high school first year as in here and the *Short Story*, Sota admits that he fell for Akari in their first year because he admired her artistic skills in later installments like *Premium Live*.

## References

1. ↑ from Renna Translations
2. ↑ http://twitter.com/shito\_stereo/status/550958797875707904 shito's Twitter post talking about the ranking
3. ↑ *HoneyWorks Premium Live*: Main Story "Yakimochi no Kotae" Chapter 12