Yuki Yaku > Quotes

“…You said life was irrational and unfair, but that’s not true. The game of life functions on a number of simple rules. You just can’t see them because they intersect in complex ways.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 1

“Obviously. If you’re planning to take on a boss, you’re not going to win unless your level is high enough for whatever they’re going to throw at you.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 1

“The way Twitter works is that when you retweet something, the original tweet shows up on people's timelines with a small note above saying who retweeted it.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 3

“It’s my pet theory that the best games are always the simplest. The game of life looks like it doesn’t have any rules, but actually, it’s just an elegant, complex intersection of the simplest rules. You said life’s a shitty game, but that’s ridiculous. There’s no better game in the world. You just don’t know it yet… Nanashi is a great gamer, so how can I let him keep losing at such a wonderful game? …Tomozaki-kun, I’m going to give you an offer—no, an order.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 1

“The mask and the truth, the performance and the real self, the player and the character—their paths diverged according to which side of each dichotomy they valued more.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 3

“You’ve got great base stats, so someone like you wouldn’t get how I feel.”

Aoi Hinami’s mouth moved ever so slightly, like she was repeating my words, but I couldn’t hear her. I wasn’t even sure what my voice sounded like just then.

“Life is unfair. I’m ugly, I have a bad build, I overthink until I can’t do anything, I’m wishy-washy, people make fun of everything I do, and I have no confidence in my ability to communicate. How is someone like me supposed to beat someone strong like you?”

This might have been the first time I ever said something like that to a stranger.

“But that’s all fine. Because life’s not fair. You don’t get results just by trying hard. If you could, I would, but life doesn’t have rules. No rewards, no right answers. As a game, it’s a piece of shit. If there’s no right answer, then there’s no point in trying. And I hate the way normies like you live. Your confidence is totally baseless, and you go around in packs just pretending to have fun.”

With the floodgates opened, I couldn’t stop myself.

“Even when I have a reason to be confident, I shy away. When I’m in a group I just feel alone, and it’s not fun. I’m used to this life. I don’t know why things are this way. You have a problem with that? I’ve been like this as long as I can remember. That’s fine with me. I’m a loner, but I have my fun. I’m fine with this…”

I clenched my fists.

“…So don’t force your values on me!”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 1

“Mizusawa nodded. “If I put it like Fumiya, every day is like a game, but I’m not really playing. I’m manipulating the controller, but it’s like…I’m not the one moving through the world. Even if I mess up, it’s the character I’m controlling who takes the hit, not me. And when things go well, I’m not the one who feels happy… I’m not the one having fun.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 3

“…How on earth do you get those kinds of results?” “It’s nothing special. I just think a little longer and work a little harder than everyone else in every field.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 1

“The skills you’ve been teaching me are necessary to become a real character, and they don’t contradict what I really want, so I’d like to continue.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 3

“Let me tell you something, dear sister. I may be aiming to move up the social hierarchy, but I’m not going to get rid of my nerdiness. My love for Atafami is eternal.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 3

“Correct. There are no save points in real life. On the other hand, even if you lose, you’re not gonna lose half the money you have on you or anything. So there’s no minus to losing a battle. Fighting as much as you can will benefit you. And with enough battles, you just might get lucky and win, right?” “…Well, if you put it like that, I guess so.” “But that’s not the really important point. Listen. There’s one thing about failure in the game of life that’s different from all other games… Do you know what it is?” She grinned and peered into my eyes. “Uh…that’s so broad. Maybe…?” Hinami interrupted my mental search. “I’ll tell you,” she said, then slowly explained. “In life, you get EXP for losing battles, not winning them.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 1

“You don’t insist you’re right and fight according to your own rules. You climb into the ring governed by the rules of others, and you win. It sounded messed up, and it was scarily honest, but as far as I could tell, it was how NO NAME played.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 2

“…The rules of life: bringing everyone’s interests into agreement, persuading the more vocal people, controlling the mood…”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 2

“Based on that, to persuade people and succeed in your suggestions, you’ve got to think about the stakes everyone else has in the decision and convincing those whose opinions carry extra weight, rather than whether your idea is really right.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 2

“Simply put, the high school hierarchy is ultimately based on whether a person is able to mess with lots of other people or not.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 3

“But isn’t a word for making excuses and running away from your problems. It’s a word you use to get compromises and move in a better direction.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 1

“We were reading different books by Michael Andi, but I felt like we were traveling together through the same world, understanding one another bit by bit as time flowed by like a calm and gentle river.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 2

“I like gaming, and with games, the stronger the opponent, the more you want to win.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 2

“Yes. It’s a way to build a friendship where you’re at least an equal. Instead of agreeing with the person all the time, you mess with them a little, make some pointed comments, challenge them when you disagree with them. That way, it’s harder for them to treat you like an idiot or mess with you.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 3

“…Okay, consider this. When you buy a new game and bring it home, do you get good by reading the instruction manual?” “What’s that got to do with it?” “Just answer the question.” “…No. I mean, I do read the instructions, but to get good you have to play. Otherwise, you won’t understand what it’s really about.” “Exactly. They’re the same.” “The same?” “You don’t master games by reading the instruction manual. Same with real life.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 1

“Anything with rules is a game, in my opinion. As long as there are rules and results based on those rules, it’s all a game.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 1

“You guys are planning to eat out, right? I wouldn’t want to drag everyone along on my personal shopping trip.” She waved her hands energetically. That’s when I realized what was going on. This was just Izumi’s personality. Even though she belonged to Erika Konno’s group, which was at the top of the class hierarchy, she was hyperaware of the general mood of a conversation and cared a lot about what other people thought of her. She was good at doing things for others and being considerate. The flip side was that she was bad at letting other people do things for her. It was like that saying about monks being bad at combat. If you’ve got a strength, then its opposite is likely to be your weak point. Maybe.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 2

“I want you to directly experience the responsibility that comes with decision-making because you haven’t dealt with that. And I want you to get used to it. To take it a little further, I want you to be able to work comfortably with it. This assignment is the first step toward that goal.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 2

“Leveling up means self-improvement. It’s the work of increasing your basic abilities, from your appearance to your inner attributes. Practicing means improving the skills you need for getting ahead in the world—in other words, polishing the more concrete and practical abilities. Do those two things, and you’ll clear most of what life throws at you.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 1

“So I think I might understand how you feel. When you never do what you want and never listen to your emotions… When you just do what you think you’re supposed to do, it always gets boring. That…happens to me, too.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 3

“She pulled the Michael Andi book out of its plastic bag. “If there’s a wonderful, magical person in your life,” she said, hugging the book softly to her chest. “Someone who’s painted your gray world in color…” She looked straight at me and smiled a warm, direct, very human smile. “Then I think you should treasure that relationship.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 3

“As I thought about various ways she might be able to win the election, I felt like I was building a strategy with my available skills to take down a boss.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 2

“Basically, mood was the standard for the value judgments of a group.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 2

“I knew the feeling. You’re going along thinking it doesn’t matter if anyone recognizes your effort, that you’re doing it all for yourself. And then someone shows up who’s worked as hard as you have, someone you can truly respect, and they affirm what you’ve done. It can be such a weight off your shoulders.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 2

“That’s true, but…it shows that you have a strength.” “…I…do?” What did she mean? “You did it in home ec, too. Apparently, you’re good at saying what’s on your mind.” “Uh, saying what’s on my mind? Isn’t everyone good at that? I mean, all you have to do is say it.” Hinami wagged her finger. “Not quite. There are more people who can’t do it than can.” “Huh?” “For example, Mimimi. Her strength is her flexibility. Do you think she’s good at saying what she’s thinking?” “…Oh, I see. You mean she’s good at agreeing with the people around her.” “Right,” Hinami said, nodding. “What about Hanabi? She’s probably good at it, right? At speaking her mind, I mean.” “…Yeah, probably.” “Are there a lot of people like her? Or not so many?” Uh…not many. Fine, you got me. “So…this is a rare skill I have?” “Yup. In a sense, this is your weapon, your strong point, your killer technique. And fighting on the field where you’re strongest is the foundation of gaming, right?” “Um, yeah.” “Okay. So if you get in trouble, you can fall back on this skill. Remember that.”
― Yuki Yaku, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 1