Thread by @slug_hypmic

BB/MTC+ chapter 17 part 1 released today in Japanese!
Summary thread below:
- Continuation of Life is What You Make It
- Mute #hypspoiler to avoid.
- Please refrain from posting images out of courtesy for the JPN fandom.

For those who need a refresher, here’s where we left off with the BBs:

https://twitter.com/slug_hypmic/status/1540063137772163073

The chapter begins with Jirou walking into Urumi's bar once more. He apologizes and asks if he can stay the night again. But of course! Urumi's always happy to do whatever it takes to make Jirou happy. Yet right now, he looks awfully glum. #hypspoiler

Urumi brings him a soda and asks what’s wrong. Jirou confesses that he completely bombed the prelims. Urumi, ever the perceptive one, asks if this means he hasn’t talked to Ichirou yet. Jirou looks away instead of answering. #hypspoiler

Finally, he closes his eyes and admits that, to him, Ichirou is a champion. He’s someone that Jirou can look up to, a hero in his life. (Here, Urumi teases him that a champion and a hero are the same thing, and he tells her to can it.) #hypspoiler

That’s why it just doesn’t make any sense. How could his hero lie to him and hide things from him? Now he doesn’t know what to believe in or what to fight for. Urumi scoffs a bit and leans over the counter, making Jirou lift his head out of his hands. #hypspoiler

It’s simple. Jirou needs to fight for HIMSELF. It’s a fine thing to fight for someone else, but right now Jirou’s only putting in the effort for Ichirou purely because Ichirou’s his older brother. Where’s the agency in that? #hypspoiler

Jirou begins to snap back that she’s wrong, but she interrupts and asks well, if not that, what’s he been fighting for all this time? Jirou tries but can’t come up with an answer. (Urumi says “I told you so”, much to Jirou’s irritation.) #hyspoiler

Urumi says that, now that he’s realized how much blind faith – or dependence, really— he’s put in Ichirou, Jirou will have the chance to make further growth. Jirou finally, hesitantly concedes that perhaps he has relied too hard on Ichirou. #hypspoiler

God, what a loser he is, he says. It’s no wonder Saburou calls him a moron all the time. Urumi chuckles. Jirou’s not stupid, she insists. He’s just, oh, a simplistic dumb-dumb, that’s all. Jirou tells her that’s the same thing, and she says, “Not to me.” #hypspoiler

Anyway, does he know what he needs to do now? Jirou finally smiles for the first time all chapter. Yeah! He does! As he makes to go, Urumi tells him the soda’s on the house. Jirou is about to refute her, as Ichirou taught him [see BB/MTC+ chp. 13] -- #hypspoiler

-- but then he pauses and changes his mind. Nah, you know what? Thanks, Urumi. He’ll take the help. Then he dashes out as Urumi chuckles fondly.

Meanwhile, Saburou arrives at his own destination, a local park, where he finds someone waiting for him on the swings. #hypspoiler

It’s Rei. He’s Saburou’s Plunderer contact! Rei lifts the can of beer he’s drinking in mock salute and jokes that it’s a fatherly surprise. Once he gets down to business, though, he asks if Saburou’s been astute enough to notice. #hypspoiler

Saburou has been. He’s already discovered that there’s no info on the name “Rei Yamada” anywhere on Plunderer, even though you can find anything about anyone there. That means, Saburou reasons, that Rei must manage the site. #hypspoiler

Rei laughs and congratulates Saburou on his job well done. Then Saburou asks why Rei wanted to see him anyway. Rei tells Saburou that fathers don’t need reasons to want to see their sons. Sure, Saburou says. Maybe if the dads aren’t total PoSes. #hypspoiler

Rei laughs again. Saburou's not wrong! At any rate, Rei wants to make Saburou an offer which will change his life. He puts his beer can down and lights a cigarette. The choice is Saburou’s. Does he want to hear what happened to their mother or not? #hypspoiler

Saburou is taken aback. He gulps, and… after a long pause… says he doesn’t want to know. Not from Rei, not from Ichirou. He’ll go find the truth himself, just everyone wait and see! This makes Rei pause before he admits he can respect that choice. #hypspoiler

Well, now that he’s out of beer and Saburou’s made his decision, it’s time for Rei to go. But Saburou calls out, making him stop. Saburou has just one final question for him. Why did… Why did Rei abandon them? #hypspoiler

Rei scratches the back of his head and takes a very long time to answer. Finally, he turns around and says that, regardless of why he did, the fact remains that the kids were left behind. If Saburou’s got a problem with it, he can settle it in a fight. #hypspoiler

Saburou glares at pulls out his mic.

Back at home, Ichirou is working away at his computer when the front door opens, making him look up in shock. Jirou’s back! He and Ichirou stare at one another for a few moments, until Jirou breaks the silence. #hypspoiler

Up until now, he thought that his goal was Ichirou’s goal. He thought that everything Ichirou said was right, that he needed to follow Ichirou and nothing more. Ichirou makes to interject, but Jirou cuts him off and yells: Ichirou, you’re not a hero! #hypspoiler

Ichirou looks shocked as Jirou tells him he’s no hero. He’s just Jirou’s brother. Jirou’s never going to grow up until he can find something that he and he alone can fight for. So, he pulls out his mic and challenges Ichirou to a battle. #hypspoiler

Ichirou remains surprised, but Jirou is deadly serious. It takes him a few moments to form the words, but Ichirou agrees to the battle. Jirou thanks him, and then the two brothers pull out their mics and square off. #hypspoiler

The chapter ends there, to be continued next month on November 26th!