I am a complete newbie to Nobuta. I've actually avoided it before because I saw the summary and thought it would be some cliche makeover story. Then I ended up watching the first episode of the drama on a whim today and marathoned my way straight through episode six. I'm in love.

Specifically, I love Akira/Nobuta. I don't know why there's so little of it. So I decided to contribute. Since I've only seen through episode six, this probably won't be totally accurate, but it's sort of my justification for why Akira tries to remove himself from the 'production' at the end of said episode... as well as why he might end up rejoining the effort later (based on what I think will happen).

I will probably write more once I've seen the whole drama. But for now - please read and enjoy.

If Akira ever gets another monkey's paw, he will wish for Truth Man to die after being run over by a bus. And his last words will be, "I'll know if you're lying" but it's not like that will save him. Akira will watch, and he will laugh. Hahaha! Ha! Like that.

…Just kidding!

It would do no good for Truth Man to die. Akira would still know, after all. Nothing would change, except that no other people would get to understand these sudden things about themselves, and that might be nice, but it might not. Who is Akira to decide? Truth Man doesn't want to hurt anyone. He just wants to know the truth.

It's not his fault that the truth he's wrested out of Akira is such a painful, burning monster. It's not his fault that this monster is taking control and Akira doesn't even want to stop it. Truth Man doesn't deserve to die.

Akira kind of wants to, though. A little bit.

-xxx-

If Akira ever gets another monkey's paw, he will wish for the Nobuta keychains' wishes to work without the production team's interference. And then he will throw the monkey's hand away and pick up his Nobuta keychain made by Nobuta and infused with Nobuta Power, and he will hold it to his lips for the longest time and probably never properly wish anything at all.

He will say her name over and over, though. He will say it while he sleeps, when he wakes up, when he sees her, when he doesn't, when he goes to bed, when he sleeps again. He will say her name and he will smile and he will think of her smile which she practices every day, that lovely lost little twitch. And then he will think of other things and roll around in his blanket, warm all over and happy and embarrassed and a touch sad, and he'll be holding his Nobuta-Power-infused Nobuta wishing keychain and he will say, "Nobuta, NobuTA, Nobuta, No-Bu-Ta! Nobuta. Nobuta."

He does all of this already, but if he wished on a monkey's paw, the Nobuta keychain's new wishing powers might make that improper wish come true.

It is a wish.

-xxx-

If Akira ever gets another monkey's paw, he will wish for the production to fail.

He doesn't want Nobuta to be everyone's. He doesn't even want her to be Shuuji's. He doesn't want her to go on dates with boys who call her disgusting, or to always be answering everyone's call. He doesn't want her to come running to him with the news that she has found a new friend, to leave him alone on the rooftop, to touch Shuuji or confess to Bando or to look away from him even once for the rest of her life.

He wants the courage to touch her. He wants to wrap his arm around her as easily as he does with Shuuji. He wants to hold her hand, to rest his head on her shoulder, to touch her hair and her cheek and her arm and her nose and her toes and everything in between. He wants to kiss her –

He wants to kiss her. He wants to touch his lips to hers and keep them there… and he's not entirely sure what to want next but he does want it. He wants whatever else there is to want. He wants no one else to ever see her like he does and because of that, he wants the production to fail. He wants Nobuta all to himself.

Akira doesn't need Nobuta to be popular. He doesn't need her to be everyone's friend, or even to be Shuuji's friend. To tell the truth he's starting to feel very anxious about her being Shuuji's friend. He wants her to be only his. He wants her to be absolutely his, because he is already hers and that much is only fair. Akira doesn't want or need anything else besides her; she is enough and more than enough and everything and his heart beats out of control because he just can't handle this gentle suffocation any longer, he wants her so badly.

Kon!

She doesn't want him back. She doesn't know that is even an option. She wants to be popular – not to be popular but to be able to say thank you to her producers afterwards. She can't even smile, she doesn't want to disappoint, she doesn't want to lie, she isn't looking straight ahead in that picture he keeps in his planner but she is next to him and happy and that is enough. Nobuta is amazing. Nobuta is his friend.

If the production failed and Shuuji gave up and it ended up only Akira and Nobuta. If he got the courage somehow and told her what he told Truth Man. If his wishes on her name came true and he managed to touch her, to hold her hand and touch her cheek and kiss her. If all that happened, Nobuta still would not kiss back.

Akira knows.

He doesn't blame her, but that's how it is.

So maybe he would not wish for the production to fail after all. He would just kiss his fingers and blow on the monkey's paw and throw it in the trash can and walk away without a word.

-xxx-

Akira does not have a monkey's paw. But he doesn't need wishes to change things. People can change. Nobuta Power!

He won't kill Truth Man, or wish on her name, or sabotage her production. Nobuta would not want those things. Akira does not really want those things either, because they would make her sad. Telling her would also make her sad – she can't make herself like him but she would blame herself for that.

But continuing on like this is impossible. Akira wants too much. So he will change himself. If he stays like this he will only cause trouble because of everything he wants and doesn't want. If he stays like this he will hurt Nobuta. That's the last thing he wants.

If Akira ever gets another monkey's paw, all three of his wishes will be for Nobuta's smile.