hontou ni sou omou?

Rough manga notes based on Mentar’s recommendations. The volume.chapter.page referencing is based on the Musashi scanlation file naming convention.

V05.Ch052.p180: ‘Her.’ Nagi identifies Hinagiku as the greatest obstacle to coming in first place for a school athletics festival event; if she doesn’t Klaus can fire Hayate. Absolutely lovely how Hina wears her authority of Student Council President both stylishly and lightly, drawing the line but making an exception and then showing courteous but also teasing hospitality to Hayate.

V05.Ch052.p181: Besides being the top athlete in Hakuou, Hina also has the competitive streak that characterizes many top athletes with her ‘isn’t it obvious?’ sort of declaration that she is going to participate in all the events and with the view of winning in all of them. But while many ‘winners’ tend to come across as pushy, obnoxious and even ruthlessly immoral people, Hina’s competitive nature seems to come from a ‘if you’ve got it, flaunt it’ joie de vivre as well as a belief that trying anything less than her best is disrespectful to her own principles and her opponents.

V05.Ch052.p182: Hina shows, once again, how well she understands of Hayate’s character and motivations, reading him like a book and letting him know that she knows the real reason for his trip - to find out which event Nagi has a chance of winning in. Though she doesn’t seem to realize the implications for Hayate.

V05.Ch052.p183-4: While not compromising on her ‘Compete FTW’ attitude, Hina does recognize hikikomori Nagi’s progress and offers Hayate information about the free style marathon - which also happens to be a possible lifeline for Hayate; a JPY 150 million lifeline to be precise.

V06.Ch053.p016-17: LOL at how Miki got dragged into being Hina’s partner, much against her will, for the free style marathon and her fellow council members’ schadenfreude. Also lol at Miki’s tsun tsun / deadpan congratulations and citations of Hina’s achievements and victories thus far.

V06.Ch054.p021: Chapter cover art featuring Hina in the gym equipment room (with all its connotations) and her head titled in a coy fashion (posture looks modest but eyes say come hither!) :D~~~ Nice touches with the band aid on her left knee and the reverse swoosh sign on her trainers.

V06.Ch054.p027-29: Miki freaks out after finding out just how dangerous the free style marathon could be and Hina turns on the charm with that classic line: ‘I’ll protect you. ♥’ which reduces Miki to a blushing “…” Is there any wonder that Miki adores Hina? And that Hina has a large fangirl following in Hakuou? However, there’s a surprise in store for Hina when she discovers that the Student President team is in sixth place!

V06.Ch055.p046: LOL at how Hina’s ‘Hayate, you shall not pass!’ speech is interrupted by the need to take care of an exhausted Miki who is pleading for rest and water. LOLOLOL as Hina tries to continue from where she left off.

V06.Ch055.p047: Nagi has an excellent point that not everyone can be perfect like Hinagiku but Miss Perfect’s counterpoint that overcoming difficulty will enable one to find true happiness. Sorry, Hina, but I think that only applies to people who already have all the prerequisites of a healthy body, mind and spirit. For the rest of us, that which does not kill us only makes us even more screwed up.

V06.Ch055.p048-49: Hayate makes the decision to have faith that Nagi will be able to make it to the finish line while he holds Hinagiku at bay.

V06.Ch055.p050: Marvellous tactical decision by Hayate to exploit Hina’s only real weakness by drawing her onto a suspension bridge. Poor Hina is brought to her knees and almost reduced to tears as Hayate taunts her; his devotion (and debt) to Nagi is such that he is willing to be a devil towards even Hina. T_T

V06.Ch056.p056: LOLOLOL at Hina’s black face as Hayate, assuming that Nagi must have crossed the finish line by now, lets her off the hook.

V06.Ch056.p057-58: These two pages contain an important scene which shows how much Miki cares for Hina. As highlighted by Haesslich, Miki crushes their team rose, thus forfeiting the race, in order to spare Hina from having to cross the suspension bridge which, with her acrophobia, would be a hugely distressing experience. A perfect counterpoint to Hina’s own ‘overcome difficulty for great happiness’ speech earlier; sometimes, in the larger scheme of things, some suffering is completely unnecessary and just cannot be packaged as part of the development of some greater happiness.

That’s a wrap for the Free Style Marathon arc!