This is the Chapter F SP included in Vol 7 of the Hachikuro DVD series where there are three stories.Yamada and Hagu make a round-shaped drink warmer from wool and decide to name it Pu-kun. They start to get hyped up about Pu-kun's cuteness...
This story happened before Mayama joined Fujiwara Design Jimusho...
Miwako is shocked to find Yamazaki's photo published in a fashion magazine and moans that she didn't spend money to get this type of result. This leads her colleague Takaido to ask Nomiya what has happened. Nomiya passes the men's magazine to Takaido where there is a photo spread on Yamazaki who has been praised for his fashion sense. However, Takaido cannot understand why Yamazaki is wearing that gaudy shirt or even comprehend why he has been hailed as a fashion leader by the magazine.
Nomiya explains that Miwako had bought the gaudy shirt when she was in Asakusa for work and gave it to Yamazaki as a birthday present so as to make him the laughing stock of others. However, it turned out that Yamazaki looked so good in the shirt and was even featured in the magazine for his sense of fashion. As such, this is why Miwako is feeling so worked up over her prank backfiring. Suddenly, she snaps out of her lamenting as she remembers that she's going to Nakano tomorrow and has plans to play a trick on Yamazaki again.
Miwako returns to the office with a T-shirt from a shop named Nakano Hollywood and gives it to Yamazaki. Being besotted with Miwako, Yamazaki is of course thrilled to receive the present. Takaido and Nomiya look on with horror as Yamazaki finds the T-shirt bearing a motif of the Daimajin robot. Although he has his reservations about how he finds the T-shirt, Yamazaki puts on a brave front and pretends to accept it happily from Miwako.
In the next month issue of the same fashion magazine, Yamazaki is featured again for his daring fashion sense as Miwako moans about her failed attempt. Takaido and Nomiya persuade Miwako to give up on this senseless prank since Yamazaki looks good in almost everything. However, Miwako refuses to admit defeat and wants to continue with her efforts of embarrassing Yamazaki.
The cycle goes on as Miwako fails to succeed with Yamazaki's every appearance on the fashion magazine. It's almost as if Yamazaki has become the magazine's in-house model thus Nomiya and Takaido tell Miwako to stop buying shirts for Yamazaki. However, Miwako is all fired up and makes up her mind to buy an elaborate outfit for Yamazaki when Nomiya goes to Nagoya with her for work next week.
When Miwako and Nomiya reach Nagoya, they find that the shops are closed for the day. Given that they have a tight schedule tomorrow, Nomiya suggests walking around to find suitable shops so that they can head there directly after their business meeting. Miwako wonders why Nomiya is so cooperative this time. Unknown to her, Nomiya has been asked by the accountant to stop Miwako from splurging on clothes for Yamazaki using the company's funds. They finally decide on a shop with the name Dandy House Wada.
After their meeting, Nomiya and Miwako head to Dandy House Wada where the elaborate outfits are selling at exhorbitant prices. Miwako is targetting a polo shirt with a picture of the jaguar which costs 28,900 yen but Nomiya tells her to drop the idea since it's too expensive. Besides, that is too much to pay for since Miwako is not even certain whether that T-shirt will embarrass Yamazaki in the end. Thus, Miwako reluctantly chooses the glittering shirt which Nomiya suggests. As per past instances, Yamazaki looks good in the shirt again.
This prompts Miwako to order the polo T-shirt from Dandy House Wada to be sent by courier but her hefty investment comes to nought again as Yamazaki appears on the fashion magazine for the Nth time. Miwako faints from the shock thus Yamazaki tries his best to make her feel better. At the same time, Nomiya reads Yamazaki's interview and finds out something:
Actually, the clothes were chosen by my senior at work. I was in an all-boys high school and in university, most of my classmates were guys since I was in the engineering faculty. That is why I have no idea what fashion means and I'm grateful to my senior who has spared time to make me look good. Well, I'm secretly in love with that senior and hope to do well in work soon before I confess my feelings for her.
Nomiya says a silent apology to Yamazaki for helping Miwako to make fun of him since he did not know about the latter's feelings. Although he will try to help Yamazaki in getting close to Miwako from now on, he derives greater pleasure in Miwako's mission to embarrass him and will have to betray Yamazaki for the time being.
This story happened when Morita returned from the US after a year's absence...
Mayama and Hanamoto are engaged in a shogi game where the latter remarks that Mayama has improved tremendously despite learning the game for a few days. Hanamoto thinks to himself that Mayama can spare so much time on shogi because he is now working with Rika and doesn't have to be a stalker and mope around. This makes Hanamoto quite upset since he regards shogi as one of his strengths and Mayama is beating him at it.
Hanamoto asks Mayama why he is playing shogi with him every day since Mayama is only in his 20s and should have other things to do after work. Mayama reveals that he has been asked to go for go-kon which makes Hanamoto gush with envy since he's never been to one. When Mayama says that he has outgrown the stage of going for go-kon, this makes Hanamoto question whether Mayama is deliberately picking a fight as his remarks are hurting to someone who has never experienced go-kon.
Takemoto and Hagu emerge from the painting room and settle down for some cake and drinks. Mayama asks Hagu if she has been to a go-kon where the latter gets visibly upset. Takemoto scolds Mayama for asking such questions while Hanamoto remarks that someone like Yamada should be a hit at go-kon. At the mention of this, Mayama recalls an unpleasant experience.
Yamada has been very popular at go-kon because of her looks. Coupled with the fact that guys are touched by her unrequited love for Mayama, this leads to the other female participants being neglected at every session. Actually, her friends had assumed that Yamada would not be a threat to them since she's pining for Mayama but this turns out to be a miscalculated move as she hogs the attention of the guys. This earned Yamada the nickname of "Jinx of the Go-kon". Her friends even came to submit petitions to Mayama so that he can be with her and stop Yamada from spoiling their go-kon sessions. As a result of these constant petitions, Yamada misunderstood that Mayama had been fooling around with other girls and even tried to beat him up in school previously.
When Hanamoto asks Mayama if there are any go-kon sessions in his company, Mayama recollects Yamazaki's go-kon with the female editors of the fashion magazine which he had been appearing. Miwako was so excited over this event and strived to embarrass Yamazaki again even though he was hoping that she would stop him from going. In the end, Miwako was disappointed again. Nomiya couldn't help but ask Miwako why she was doing this. Miwako wanted Yamazaki to be at her beck and call when she consoles him if he is laughed at. Nomiya really had the urge to ask Yamazaki what he sees in Miwako who is like a devil in disguise.
After hearing this story, Hanamoto comes to the conclusion that many things do not go their way in life just like their shogi game caught in a deadlock. As Hanamoto and Mayama are so concerned with defence, they keep getting into such situations and find themselves playing shogi past 1am. Just as they are toying with the idea of buying a timer to restrict the playing time, Morita who has been listening to their conversation, points out that the simple way is just to stop playing past midnight. Although this is a very direct solution, Hanamoto and Mayama fail to think of it and tell Morita to shut up since hearing this makes them feel silly...
Coming back to Pu-kun made by Yamada and Hagu, they freeze in horror when they find Yamada's father using it as a cap...
I find this more interesting that the previous Romaiya-senpai SPs in Vol 5 where the two main stories are bursting with humour and I get to see my favourite characters like Nomiya and Morita again. When I was reading the manga, the Fujiwara Design Jimusho story was already very funny but when you see the animated version with the colours on those elaborate shirts, it enhances the comical effect. Taken on its own, those shirts may seem gaudy but I have to admit that Yamazaki looks good in them. Maybe the person wearing it determines how it appears to others. It might not have looked as good on someone like Nomiya who has the upperhand in terms of looks.
Given that the emphasis of these stories are on funny happenings, it's not surprising that they do not fit into the main series since they have little bearing on the story development and are classified as fillers instead. Nevertheless, it was good to see such stories being animated and I look forward to season 2 of Hachikuro starting this summer.
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