That was the best chapter in a while for me – which is saying a lot, by the way, since this manga is so consistently amazing. This chapter had so many great twists and turnarounds; every time I thought it reached peak, the manga went peaker. How does Masuda-sensei do this?!
Mase-chan and Okute-chan are just... I don't even know anymore. They are like characters straight out of a soap opera, except they're in elementary school...?? Anyways, they're ridiculously entertaining. Mase-chan acts mature, but is mostly very wholesome; Okute-chan is the polar opposite. Little Hikoichi has a tough love life ahead of him for sure...
Maybe that's why this chapter was so fun: it's just ridiculous. "He was a good kid back in kindergarten, but then he fell in with a bad crowd of upperclassmen in elementary school" is ridiculous. We also almost witnesses an infidelity plot with elementary schoolers; that's ridiculous as well. Then, we see Little Hikoichi speaking and acting like a true man. That's absolutely ridiculous. This juxtaposition is just so stupidly funny to me.
Praise for the chapter aside: I honestly don't think Mase-chan deserves Little Hikoichi. She's consistently emotionally manipulative; even when she's not, she tries to maintain an unequal power dynamic. Not to mention how Little Hikoichi is the one putting in all the work for this relationship. Everything I just typed was about elementary schoolers... Why is it so spicy lol