u/4ereshnya

Recently I came to a conclusion that Matsuoka is the only character in this series that I dislike. And when I asked myself why, the answer was pretty simple: he continues to harass Chisa about marrying him despite her giving a clear "no".

But then a thought came to me: "How is it any different from Koin harassing Hatami throughout chapter 3 about becoming his assistant despite getting a clear "no" several times?" Is it hypocrisy? Favouritism? Quite possible. But the answer I came to was "Koin has much more going on for him." Harassing Hatami doesn't become Koin's whole personality. He has lots of other moments to shine. He is a source of many other jokes that often have nothing to do with Hatami. And he is not reduced to just a comic relief either. Honestly, Koin analysis should be a separate post altogether.

In Matsuoka's case, however, his whole character revolves around Chisa. Any conversation with him eventually leads to Chisa. He doesn't speak with anyone else unless absolutely necessary. He doesn't seem to have much of a dynamic with any other character other than Chisa. I would be able to like him despite this flaw if this flaw wasn't Matsuoka's only personality trait.

There is a reason why Dave and Ueda, who initially left the same bad impression on me in prologue, skyrocketed so fast. It's because it quickly became clear that their characters go beyond just their "pervert" and "woman hater" archetypes. Sure, Ueda is a pervert, but it's only part of his character, not his defining trait. And Dave's hatred of women turned out to be legit phobia and some sort of medical condition, while he managed to shine in other aspects. Matsuoka, on the other hand, remained with his old "Marry me, Miss Komyoin!" schtick from the prologue without adding anything new to his character.

I don't want Kokona to end up being secretly evil or her personality being fake. We already have Seki to fulfill this trope, and doing so twice in a row (or twice in general) would feel kind of lazy and disappointing. I generally dislike when the twist villain becomes a completely different person upon their reveal. Kokona is definitely suspicious. She clearly didn't tell us the whole truth. But please, don't let her be evil!

So, the possession of the Wish Ticket allows you to request a piece of information, unlocking of any door, or escape from the school. The escape certainly seems the most tempting one. But why would a killer need that ticket if a successful murder already guarantees "graduation". Unless... You could request someone else's escape, too. Now that seems like a good deal. The only ones with strong enough bonds to attempt something that risky seem to be Arumada siblings. And with everything suspicious Kokona has going on, she is the most likely candidate in terms of motive and opportunity.

But for now my bet is on Matsuoka. He seems to be the only one physically capable of lifting Hashizawa and he knew about the menu. He also seems to have no alibi, and I could see him wanting the ticket to let Chisa escape. But I have a feeling that is not the case.

How come every time we learn something shady about Hatami it always comes from Koin? Who found the article about the slaugher of the Adagura Film Club? Hatoyama! Who found out and then revealed to everybody Hatami's talent? Hatoyama! Who now states that "Tachihaki Hatami" might not even be Hatami's real name? You guessed it — Hatoyama!