Chapter 404: Untitled
The latest chapter of Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai was released just as a cold snap rolled in, prompting everyone to pull out their autumn jackets. Daniel, who had just picked up his copy of the manga, returned home and shivered as he walked inside.
"Man, it was warm just yesterday, but today it's freezing!"
After a hot face and foot wash, he felt revived. He quickly ate dinner, jumped into bed, and opened up the newest issue of Picca Comics.
But instead of seeing Sakuta meeting up with the middle-school girl from the last chapter, Daniel was greeted with an unexpected scene—a younger version of Sakuta sitting by the sea, staring out over the water. Daniel frowned in surprise.
"Is this a flashback to something Sakuta experienced in the past?" Daniel guessed.
Sakuta sat alone on the beach, gazing at the horizon. Suddenly, a girl appeared next to him, wearing a school uniform from the same high school he'd later attend. When her face came into full view, Daniel's eyes widened.
The high school girl looked identical to the middle-school girl from the previous chapter!
"Is this her older sister?" Daniel wondered, trying to piece it together.
But soon the manga proved him wrong—the high school girl introduced herself with the exact same name as the middle-schooler from last time: Makinohara Shoko.
How could this be?
If Sakuta was experiencing a memory, then Shoko should logically be older than she appeared in the previous chapter! But the Makinohara Shoko he'd just seen was a high schooler, not a middle schooler, like the one he met in the future.
These two Shokos were clearly years apart in age.
The scene shifted, and Sakuta awoke from his dream.
Now fully awake, Sakuta was as puzzled as Daniel. He remembered how he had once met Shoko as a high schooler when he was struggling through a difficult time. She had encouraged him, inspired him, and became his first crush and motivation. He even transferred to Minegahara High, hoping to see her again, only to find that she didn't seem to exist. But then, not long after he transferred, he met a much younger version of her.
Right then, both Daniel and Sakuta had the same thought—could it be the "puberty syndrome" again?
The syndrome in the manga was known to work in strange and powerful ways, even giving people the ability to disappear or alter time. Koga, for example, had managed to repeat the same day over and over.
So maybe it wasn't impossible that Shoko could shift through time, just like in Steins;Gate.
But the manga didn't dwell on it; instead, the story took a turn and introduced Ryo Futaba, the white-coated scientist who bore more than a passing resemblance to Steins;Gate's Hououin Kyouma.
In a busy part of town, Sakuta and Yuma saw Futaba going into an internet café and decided to follow her. After trailing her, Sakuta learned an unsettling truth—because of the "puberty syndrome," Futaba had split into two versions of herself.
Throughout summer vacation, Sakuta met the alternate version of Futaba daily at school, noticing her more daring behavior. He found out the two Futabas couldn't share memories, meaning one Futaba was completely unaware of what the other did. Just as one Futaba prepared to leave, Sakuta convinced her to stay, and the two Futabas finally merged into one again. They ended the summer by watching the fireworks display with Sakuta and Yuma.
"Agh, this is just wrong!" Daniel sighed.
The Porter's pacing was kind of infuriating. Last chapter teased the mystery of Shoko, but this one dropped it entirely to focus on another character, leaving Daniel feeling like he was left hanging.
With this chapter out, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai stirred up quite a buzz online in fan circles. Fans were chatting about the latest developments, speculating wildly.
"This feels like another time-travel arc," someone posted.
"For sure. It's all according to Steins;Gate's choice!"
"So, was it middle-school Shoko traveling to the future, or high-school Shoko going back to the past?"
"No idea—we'll just have to wait for the Porter to reveal more."
"I thought this was going to be a simple romance manga, but it feels like when I got sucked into Steins;Gate all over again."
"Not so fast! This is still mainly a romance series, so I bet the time-travel stuff won't be as intense as Steins;Gate."
Discussion spread across manga fan groups. People originally picked up the series thinking it was just another romantic comedy with a clever, smooth-talking main character, but as fans caught on to the subtleties, debates about the storyline exploded.
And it wasn't just the plot—they were all fascinated by the character dynamics, too.
"This is way better than all those 'will-they-or-won't-they' stories," someone commented.
"Right? I'm so sick of love triangles. Give me either a genuine romance or a well-done harem."
"I actually don't mind the love triangles… but maybe I haven't read enough of them."
"You probably haven't. But seriously, Sakuta's got game. I always want to try saying smooth lines around girls, but it never comes out right."
"You should thank the Porter for that! It's all his writing."
"Can you imagine how many girls the Porter probably charmed with his lines? I bet he's pretty popular."
"Come on, he's married to the company's owner. Total role model!"
At Ren's house, Jada was scrolling through comments on her phone. With a smirk, she turned to him.
"Yeah, I'd love to know how many girlfriends our dear Porter has charmed."
"…"
"Wait, what are you looking at?" Jada noticed Ren staring at her feet and shifted uncomfortably.
"Actually, I've been staring at your feet this whole time. My heart's racing," Ren replied, grinning. "I just want to…"
Before he could finish, a pillow flew his way, hitting him squarely.
"Don't go quoting Sakuta!" Jada scolded, her cheeks turning pink. "And Sakuta never said he wanted to… you know!"
"That's because they're just dating," Ren replied with a serious look. "But we're married!"
With that, Ren pounced on her.
"Ah—"
A small squeal was heard, followed by the creak of the bed as it shifted under them.
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