Tonari no Neko to Koi Shirazu - Ch. 26

[Tired_Man]

the good ol' romcom bread and butter, misunderstandings

 

[blablablub]

Big kitty cat

 

[Bartolumiu]

Ah yes, it's the misunderstanding trope... Everyone's
favourite...

Thanks for the TL!

 

[StandFab]

I actually really dislike the trope of a whole chapters discussion being a misunderstanding cause people leave out important words. How can you even talk about anything????

That's Japanese for you... such a weird language.

 

[Hikineet]

Thanks for the chapter.

 

[Snovember]

When I start learning about Japanese I find their grammar very interesting. Some sentence can't be intepret correctly unless you hear the full sentence and know the context first.

that's why I give up. For now.

German has split verbs, and the language considers encapsulating sentences in this split to be normal. Take walk away/towards, for instance. You can have [subject] [verb1.1:walk] [a whole damn paragraph, with further subclauses and verbs and what not] [verb1.2:away/towards], and depending on which word verb1.2 is, the whole context changes.

Like, "With the consideration of domestic abuse he walked—perhaps being a being a bit premature, but likely not, as abuse is never to be taken likely, and furthermore given the school situation and the support structure he had built there, or maybe failed to build, as he was an adolescent male of questionable maturity, but at the same time quite a notable academic record—away from / towards a bright future." A german speaker has to keep that whole thing in the back of the mind until they finish reading that sentence.

And don’t get me started on Thomas Mann. Man could make sentences cross pages and not be done with it. The moment the reader needs to pull out sketching equipment to follow a sentence is the moment you failed as an author, in my opinion.

But yeah, Japanese calls that "cute".

 

[Nobi]

Seriously. How fucking ambiguous can Japanese be?

 

[Araragi_alan]

Why is everyone whambulancing over a 'misunderstanding trope'? She has been a socially awkward individual since day one and she's only now learning to make a connection with a person rather than a cat, other than her employer who to an extent kind of let her live that disconnect in comfort but wants her to move away from it.

Everyone wants fluff and then fifty chapters of post confession fluff and yeah I get it but this ain't that. It was never gonna be that.

I don't care how they get there, I just want them to adopt the silly fat cat and get an apartment together and she stays weird as fuck for the rest of time.

based

 

[sanctuary]

A lot of nonsense, the only redeeming thing was the img from store owner. How do I convey this sentiment to the author so he drops this?

The ones commenting on the people tired of this silly trope are just coping, the punchline won't be as funny.

 

[IhsanWeeb]

the misunderstanding this time is not what i expected. but hell yeah. probably the first time i've ever read misunderstanding arc without rolling my eyes 🗿

 

[MaCl0wSt]

Oof this took a weird direction with the misunderstanding

Thanks for the chapter!

 

[Sky_Ravager]

thanks for the chapter

 

[Bananimal]

Not really a fan of misunderstands that are easily fixed, but I think the MC's concern is so sweet! Even though it scares him, he tries his best to find out all he can and even suggest going to a trusted adult.

I get the disdain, I'm just a sucker for brave scaredy-cats

 

[EulBassist]

Thanks for the chapter!

 

[waldo220]

Thx for the TL!

Ok i need to know what her home life is, cus they setting it up to be something really serious or a straight gag.

Also damnnnnnnnnn shop lady

It's a gag. Uncle Doctor was shown to be talking about the father being a doting mess. Seno just hard focused on the drunk part (maybe the doting part translates to something else in JP, something that could be misconstrued positively or negatively).

 

[CheeseOverLord]

Thx for the TL!

Ok i need to know what her home life is, cus they setting it up to be something really serious or a straight gag.

Also damnnnnnnnnn shop lady

Its a gag, the father is just too doting, but mc heard 'mess' and thought it meant, like drunk.

 

[Granitefish]

It's a gag. Uncle Doctor was shown to be talking about the father being a doting mess. Seno just hard focused on the drunk part (maybe the doting part translates to something else in JP, something that could be misconstrued positively or negatively).

Typically because Japanese tends to drop words when it's dropped but the readers need to know what it is the word is often put in parenthsis instead. So while the Uncle Meant he was a Doting Mess he only said he was a mess and then added the drunk part.
So I can't really blame the MC for misunderstanding. Additionally It can often be hard for people to work up the courage to directly ask if someone is getting abused.
IMO the only one at fault here is the Uncle for not being clear about what he was talking about.

 

[wallsg]

It would be extra funny if the cops got involved.

Amairite guys?
Guys?

Good luck. This is Japan. From what I understand it takes a LOT to get people, even police, to "interfere" in a family situation.

Even when someone interferes with someone hitting on a girl they're expected to butt out if they have no connection to the girl (at least as I've seen depicted).

ChatGPT had this to say (without providing any citations for either which I don't like). (I used to spend a HUGE amount of time manually searching for this kind of stuff.) It looks like they are supposed to step in for DV and child abuse.

will police interfere with internal family matters in japan

Spoiler: ChatGPT Response

In Japan, police generally avoid getting involved in purely internal family matters—especially disputes that are seen as private, such as disagreements over household roles, parenting choices, or non-criminal arguments—unless one of the following happens:

1. A crime is alleged – If there’s evidence or a claim of assault, threats, child abuse, elder abuse, or another criminal offense, police will intervene.
2. Domestic Violence (DV) – Japan has a Domestic Violence Prevention Law, and police take DV reports seriously, sometimes issuing protection orders.
3. Child Welfare Concerns – If children’s safety is at risk, the police will notify or work with the local jidō sōdanjo (child consultation center).
4. Disturbance to Public Order – If an argument spills into public or neighbors call due to noise or suspected danger, police may step in.

That said, culturally and legally, Japanese police tend to prefer mediation and de-escalation rather than immediately arresting a family member—unless the situation is clearly dangerous. They’ll often encourage the parties to resolve it themselves or involve social services.


If you like, I can explain why Japanese police are more hesitant than some Western police to step into family disputes. It’s partly cultural, partly legal.

is it common for someone to protect a girl from being publicly hit on in Japan

Spoiler: ChatGPT Response

It’s not very common in Japan for a stranger to step in and “protect” a girl from being publicly hit on—at least compared to some Western countries—unless the situation is clearly threatening.

Here’s why:

• Cultural reluctance to intervene – Many Japanese people avoid directly inserting themselves into strangers’ affairs unless there’s a clear emergency. There’s a strong social norm of meiwaku o kakenai (not causing trouble for others), which also means avoiding conflict in public.
• Gray area in “being hit on” – Casual flirting (nanpa, especially in nightlife areas like Shibuya or Osaka’s Namba) is seen as annoying by many, but unless it becomes aggressive, people usually won’t step in.
• Gender dynamics – Friends, boyfriends, or coworkers might intervene if they know the girl, but strangers usually help only if the man is being overly persistent, ignores a refusal, or starts to get physical.
• Exceptions – Station staff, security guards, or police (kōban officers) may act if it’s in a place they oversee (e.g., train stations). Also, older women (obāsan) sometimes scold pushy men quite fearlessly.

So, it’s not the social default to jump in, but if the behavior clearly crosses into harassment (chikan or stalking), there’s a much higher chance someone will step in—often indirectly, by calling police or alerting staff rather than confronting the man directly.


If you want, I can tell you the unspoken “social cues” Japanese bystanders look for before deciding to intervene. Those cues can make the difference between someone helping or walking away.