Miki used to be a lot more assertive in middle school. She used to speak her mind a lot more. But I’m often told that in Japan, you don’t want to be the nail that sticks out. Doing so only invites trouble. It’s really unfortunate that Miki feels as though she needs to change her personality — that she needs to conform. Yeah, she now gets to make new friends, but are these meaningful relationships? They were initially drawn to her because… why? She was pretty? Bro, I’ve never wanted to become friends with someone for their looks. From my perspective, this is such a weird thing to say to someone you’ve never talked to. Miki even admits that she has little in common with her classmates, so what is she getting out of this? The appearance of being friendly? Does that make you happy?