Tadano is the only one to notice that Komi actually struggles with extreme social anxiety, and ropes in his childhood friend, Osana Najimi to help the poor girl fulfill her dreams of making 100 friends in Komi Can’t Communicate. But what are Najimi’s true intentions?
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Najimi’s Outlandish Tasks
Najimi is not quite sure about Komi, as she is the only person that they have ever struggled to read. However, they are quite quick to jump at the opportunity of creating an errand girl out of the naive and trusting Komi. First, Najimi demands a complicated latte from Standbakes Coffee in “It’s just my first errand,” all the while insisting that they don’t really want anything to drink. Komi is again sent out to purchase an elaborate sandwich from SaboWey in “It’s just a country kid”, and received an encore of complaints from Najimi about the incorrect order (which prompted tears the first time Komi heard the discouraging words).
Starting small could fit in perfectly with Najimi’s manipulation tactics, as a small reward will not receive a lot of suspicions, however, having succeeded so far, Najimi continues to push Komi’s boundaries even further.
When Komi is immediately chosen to be the class president in “It’s just a student election”, Najimi jumps up to supposedly defend their friend and boosts Komi’s position way up to Goddess status. Although Komi would be relieved of the responsibility of the class leader, Najimi’s actions also conveniently opened the presidential position back up, and they bagged themselves the vice-president title. Very advantageous indeed.
Later on in episode 9, Najimi is in a pickle at work and asks Komi to step in, knowing full well that such an interactive job would aggrevate her friend’s social anxiety. It may have been kinder to allow Komi to wear the bear suit instead, as she would still have to interact with strangers but with the added ‘protection’ of a barrier.
During the culture festival, Najimi’s mask falls off completely as they shamelessly exploit Komi’s body in order to lure lustful guests to the Maid Cafe. Ensuring that Komi gets the shortest skirt possible, Najimi does not stop to consider how Komi might feel in such a revealing outfit (and even got Tadano into a French maid’s uniform too because, well, why not?) Due to numerous shameful “business” tactics, Najimi gets the entire class eliminated from the competition, losing them the first place prize in the process.
Finally, when Komi and Katai are finally introduced in Season 2, Najimi steps in to stop Tadano from pointing out their common anxiety affliction, stating that this way would be more fun. Knowing about their shared affliction would undoubtedly help Komi feel more at ease with Katai (much like with the Ramen Master) If that’s not proof enough that the socialite loves to play mind games with people, then nothing is!
A Selfless Najimi
Although they don’t always choose to show it, Najimi does possess some tact and has also averted some awkward situations for Komi’s sake. In “It’s just a cell phone,” Najimi quickly picked up on Komi’s reluctance to ask Tadano for his number and attempted to assist Komi in a relatively subtle way. Najimi also forces Ren Yamai to apologize for her deplorable actions after she kidnaps Tadano and basically threatened Komi with “It’s just a crush.”
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Other than ensuring that they are always involved in the drama, Najimi has nothing to gain from prompting Ren’s forgiveness, and they are revealed to be a genuine ally once again. Najimi shows their generosity by gifting Komi with a notebook so that she can keep track of her growing friends. They also regularly make an effort to introduce Komi to new people, and always ensures that neither Komi nor Tadano are left out of group activities.
Komi, Tadano… and Najimi?
One of the reasons that Najimi is so popular is because they are able to read people, which makes them a great conversationalist! As demonstrated, they can use their powers for good or evil, however, one common occurrence is still up for debate. Najimi regularly goes out of their way to create scenarios where Komi and Tadano are either forced to be alone together or discuss their tentative feelings with one another. These actions would be easy to fit on the list of selfless moments, however, Najimi generally ensures that they are close enough to witness the awkward encounters and poke fun at the cute ‘couple.’
A particularly sadistic example of this is in “It’s just the ‘I Love You’ Game”, whereby Najimi coaxes Komi and Tadano into competing alongside the rest of the class whereby they ‘falsely’ declare their love for one another. Once everyone has let their guard down, Najimi takes the opportunity to pair the potential love birds together, knowing full well the amount of internal turmoil and emotional damage this could create for them. As mortifying as the whole ordeal is for Komi and Tadano, at least each of them had to acknowledge their feelings, possibly pushing them closer to establishing a romantic relationship.
What Komi Has to Gain
It is uncertain whether Komi is left to pay for all the goods that Najimi sent her to buy, but it is undeniable that Komi gains some kind of experience from stepping out of her comfort zone. Perhaps if Komi had not survived the terrifying ordeal of ordering a coffee from Standbakes, she would not have worked up the courage to venture out to Ramen Darou with her friends, for example. The world is only ever as big as one allows it to be, and Najimi is, albeit forcefully, helping Komi to broaden her horizons.
Realistically speaking, if Komi and Tadano were alone in the task of finding 99 more friends for the anxious girl, it is unlikely that Komi would have gotten very far. As well-intentioned as Tadano is, he is not the most social creature and has only so much to offer the Class Goddess in terms of her development.
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