Quick Recap: We meet our protagonists, Kakeru and Yamato. They have been best friends since childhood. Yamato is good-looking, tall, athletic, and intelligent. Kakeru is completely average. So average, many people question how they’re friends. Yamato holds a secret. He’s in love with Kakeru.
Chapter 7: Misunderstanding
It’s Valentine’s Day and many girls are passing chocolates to Kakeru to give to Yamato. While waiting on Yamato, he sees a girl try to confess with Yamato. Kakeru walks off to wait. When Yamato comes to him, he lies and says he was talking to a teacher. The more Kakeru thinks about it, the more he keeps wondering if Yamato likes him in a romantic way. Kakeru struggles to think of a way to bring it up. Kakeru is on edge. While sitting together in Yamato’s room, Yamato reaches for him and Kakeru pushes him back. Now things are even more awkward than they were before.
Chapter 8: A Bright Place
Kakeru is invited to go to bowling. Kakeru invites Yamato, but he turns him down saying he has to work. The other boys notice that something is up and assume they’re fighting. At work, Yamato isn’t faring well. He is messing up orders and forgetting to give out change. Nitta-san, his co-worker, asks him to walk her to the station. She asks him if something is bothering him, but he keeps saying nothing. Then, she mentions love troubles and it is painfully obvious. He admits the love is unrequited and it is a really complicated situation. Yamato is dead-set on not telling Kakeru how he feels at the expense of himself. Back at school, Yamato forgets his phone at the end of the day. There, he over hears Kakeru’s other friends bad-mouthing Yamato and telling Kakeru that Yamato looks down on him.
Chapter 9: A Warm Place
Kakeru reacts to the other boys and loses his temper. He sticks up for Yamato and insists they do not know him so they shouldn’t speak poorly of him. Things between Yamato and Kakeru are tense. It appears Yamato is ignoring Kakeru. Kakeru feels bad for misunderstanding the situation and pushing Yamato away. Suddenly, Yamato offers to help Kakeru study for the midterms. Things seems to be repaired for now. Kakeru overhears that a girl is going to confess to Yamato over the lunch break. When Yamato gets up to leave, Kakeru grabs the end of his jacket.
Chapter 10: Flustered
Kakeru can’t focus. As his friends try to talk to him at lunch, he can’t stop thinking about the confession that is about to happen. What is Yamato going to say? Another boy is looking for Yamato and tells Kakeru that he turned in the wrong homework. Immediately, Kakeru gets up and says that he is going to look for Yamato. Kakeru is in a panic. Yamato finds him and tries to take him to the nurse’s office because he thinks Kakeru is sick. Kakeru asks about the confession and Yamato tells him it doesn’t concern Kakeru. As Yamato walks away, Kakeru hugs Yamato from behind. Kakeru tells Yamato that he will not make trouble for Yamato anymore and that he just wants his best friend.
Chapter 11: Excuse
Kakeru is wrangled into shopping with his sister. She is exhausting. Meanwhile, Yamato is with his sister grocery shopping. Yamato is confused by what happened with the hug. He was happy it happened, but confused at the same time. While on a break from his sister, Kakeru admits to himself that he was frantic and scared when he hugged Yamato. Yamato’s sister asks if he is dating Kakeru. Yamato admits that he can’t tell Kakeru how he feels because he doesn’t want to ruin things. Yamato’s sister asks him if he will really be okay with that kind of future. Meanwhile, Kakeru bumps into Akane. They have an easy going conversation and look happy together. Back with his sister, Yamato gets up and goes to the bathroom. There, he sees Kakeru and Akane together. He grabs Kakeru and pulls him aside to a corner where no one else can see. With jealousy, he asks what Kakeru is doing with her. Overwhelmed with confusing emotions, Yamato hugs Kakeru.
THOUGHTS
I feel so bad for Yamato, but at the same time, what a freaking idiot. His feelings are going to eat him up from the inside out. That being said, I’m not sure I could do it either, so I guess that makes me an idiot, too. I’m enjoying Kakeru’s feelings beginning to blossom. What a complicated situation. Not only do they have to navigate their feelings for each other, they have to deal with the complication of a same-sex relationship. I’m sure their young feelings can barely handle the pressure. I’m looking forward to seeing how Kakeru reacts to this sudden hug.
Filthy Casual for Life 
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