Chapter 88

“High School Boys and Loneliness” is the 88th chapter of the manga.

Cover Page
End scene of Chapter 87. Yoshitake and Hidenori have sat down again and are staring at Yoshitake's older sister nervously.

Detailed Summary
In class, Hidenori remarks that it would be winter vacation soon. He asks Yoshitake if he’d be free on Christmas Eve. Yoshitake answers that he had some stuff to do. Hidenori then asks Tadakuni, who says he’s busy as well. Hidenori digests this as well before turning to Motoharu. He also turns out to be busy. Hidenori is somewhat surprised that he’s the only one who’s free.

On Christmas Eve, Hidenori is taking a walk. He thinks to visit a manga café nearby, having nothing else to do. He walks in and browses the aisles for a while. Suddenly, he runs into Tadakuni, who is dressed in casual clothes and buying some manga. An awkward silence persists, only to be broken by Yoshitake stumbling upon them as well. He seems shocked to see either of them there.

Uneasily, Hidenori brings out his cell phone and dials Motoharu’s number. Motoharu’s familiar ringtone is heard clearly from just a couple of aisles away. Tadakuni and Yoshitake are shocked, while Hidenori maintains a grim silence. He thinks he knows exactly why they had acted like they had plans. For this reason, he leaves without saying a word, pretending he had seen nothing.

Characters
In order of appearance:
 * Hidenori
 * Yoshitake's older sister (cover)
 * Yoshitake
 * Tadakuni
 * Motoharu