Review: ようこそ実力至上主義の教室へ 6 [Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e (Novel) 6]

ようこそ実力至上主義の教室へ 6 [Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e (Novel) 6] by Syougo Kinugasa
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I already know that something great, very exciting (in my opinion at least) is going to happen in the next volume!

To be honest, this volume didn't feel that special, the next special test occurred but only halfway through and for the previous volumes it always managed to end each volume after finishing a special test, but not this time which is kinda disappointing and also therefore felt more boring.

But I did notice that Ayanokouji made more friends, especially ones that he calls by their first name (though the idea wasn't his and is a rule for the friend group he entered). This volume also showed that even though Ayanokouji seems to have no interest in social interactions he does feel some kind of joy of experiencing them.

It seemed I was somehow developing a social life. This’d be normal for anyone else, but I trembled with a kind of excitement I’d never experienced before.

Also, Ayanokouji's birthday was mentioned in this volume and something unexpected happened, which felt weirdly wholesome.

Kushida's past was also mentioned in this volume so I really can't complain, though it was already hinted on what it could possibly be so it wasn't that surprising (even the first time I watched it in the anime wasn't surprising).
I was also able to see inside Kushida's head (her thoughts) which I couldn't in the anime. This was somewhat insightful as I could for once see her own opinion of herself, but it honestly didn't change the way I perceived Kushida.

Only other thing I can complain about in this volume except that it cut of the special test was Satou. She was annoying, she was unnecessary and there was even a moment where Ayanokouji clearly said no and she didn't move an inch, which felt like she was harassing him indirectly and it made me dislike her even more.

Satou, quickly latching on to my arm.
“Huuuh?!” Airi yelped.
“H-hey, knock it off,” I told Satou.
“Huh? Why? This is okay, isn’t it?” she asked. Satou sounded calm and composed, but her face was red. She was trying a little too hard.

For those who might not understand my point as it isn't that direct and just a short encounter (fortunately) was how he said 'knock it off' and she just answered with: 'This is okay, isn't it?' as if he didn't just say no. When he thought that she was 'trying a little too hard' one can also see how he didn't like how Satou behaved in this situation.
After all it's just fiction and I also noticed that such stuff happens every once in a while in anime so maybe I'm just going too hard on this, but such (usually short) moments really put me off.

So to put everything together: There were definitely interesting things in this volume as well, but I liked how the previous volumes were structured more which leads me to give this volume 3 stars. I expected for this volume to end the special test altogether and not extend it to the next one, specially as it isn't such a big special test like the island one, for instance.

Side note: It's funny, that for this volume Horikita is reading 'And Then There Were None' by Agatha Christie, which I was actually also planning to read.

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