Yokodera Youto (Japanese: 横寺 陽人 Yokodera Youto), is the male protagonist of the The Hentai Prince and the Stony Cat series.
Appearance[]
Youto is a high schooler of average build and height. He has light brown hair and brown eyes with bud. He is most often seen in his school uniform, consisting of a white shirt, a red tie, and black pants.
Personality[]
The high schooler Youto lives up to his reputation of a pervert. He is often shown allowing his imaginations and fantasies regarding girls around him to run wild, or act with ulterior motives to satisfy his lust.
However, in a significant time travel segment during Volume 5, the six-year-old Youto is depicted as a pure and caring boy, his mind devoid of any stains as he cared for the lone nursery teacher Tsutsukakushi Tsukasa. He is shown to be sensitive to others' emotions and would make selfless sacrifices for the happiness of others.
Although the current Youto has evidently gone astray, there are qualities that he has retained from his childhood. He resonates deeply with The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde, a story that he has admired since his childhood. His actions are fueled by a desire to help every person in need, no matter the cost.
Relationships[]
Tsutsukakushi Tsukiko[]
A bond was formed between Youto and Tsukiko after their chance encounter at the nursery school that Tsukiko volunteered at. The two would regularly hang out, and Youto ends up providing her valuable guidance on getting along with children, something she struggled to do at the time. During this time, Tsukiko always wore a mask, and Youto never once saw her face or learned her name. Tsukiko eventually stopped volunteering there as she started attending the same high school as Youto, and challenged him to find her first. However, due to Youto's sacrifice of his memories during his childhood, he would forget about this promise.
Youto and Tsukiko only meet again when they both find themselves a hill with a cedar tree and a Stony Cat statue, intending to rid themselves of an unwanted trait. Their wishes are granted by the cat god, but with unwanted consequences. An alliance forms between them to take back what they've lost, which leads to them resuming daily contact, though Youto remains unaware that they have met before.
As Youto forms friendships with more girls, Tsukiko would grow possessive and attempt to assert her position as the person that Youto knew for the longest time. Later on, in a time travel back to the past made possible by the Cat God, they learn that ten years ago, the young Youto had sacrificed his memories with Tsukasa to grant them to Tsukushi, hence making him forget anything that can be considered a memory for the rest of his life. Tsukiko was devastated by this revelation, yet she was unable to alter the outcome. The time leap would also prove that Tsukiko is, in fact, not Youto's longest. However, Youto would assert that despite this, Tsukiko remains the most important person to her, and promised to always be by her side.
The revelation in the time leap leads Tsukiko to make an unconscious wish to remember everything in Youto's stead, after which she would begin to keep a series of notes documenting Youto's every action. She initially disguises the notes in a "point system," where for every interaction Youto has with another girl, he must compensate her through acts like holding hands and hugging. She held a particular grudge against Azuki Azusa, who she viewed as a threat to her position as "number one."
During a field trip, she confronts Azusa under the guise of discussing a hypothetical love triangle, asserting that she should recognize her secondary position. However, despite not recognizing her true intents, Azusa counters by questioning the validity of Tsukiko's rankings and emphasizing that love should stem from mutual acceptance rather than possessiveness, suggesting that Tsukiko's feelings for Youto may not even be genuine. Suffering thorough defeat, Tsukiko begins to recognize her own selfishness and falls into a downward spiral, though she eventually manages to confront her feelings and make up with Azusa.
Around this time, Tuskiko begins to notice a tendency in Youto to sacrifice himself for the sake of others, no matter the cost. Tsukiko challenges Youto's idea that he must save everyone or do something extraordinary to have value, assuring him that she would always accept him. However, Youto's nature proves too deep-rooted to be changed. Eventually, when a "curse" tied to the Tsutsukakushi lineage surfaces and causes a sharp decline in Tsukushi's health, Youto sacrifices his remaining lifespan to the Cat God to save Tsukushi's life.
After Youto's death, Tsukiko would fall into despair. However, a mysterious time loop is initiated, where Tsukiko would retain her memories across loops thanks to the notes she kept — her wish to remember everything in Youto's stead was strong enough for the physical notebooks to persist across time loops. She desperately pleads to Youto to not repeat the same tragedy, but this proves fruitless as each loop would end in Youto's same sacrifice. Tsukiko grows disheartened, but Youto eventually realizes his mistake with the help of Emi, and reconciles with her. Combining their efforts, they manage to find the cause of the time loop and break out of it by once again returning to the past, with the intent to rid the lineage of the "curse" from its root.
Despite the challenges, they succeed in finding the root cause of the "curse" — a belief held by Tsukasa in order to cope with her own declining health, which manifested in Tsukushi due to an inadvertent wish made as an expression of love for her mother. They also learn why Youto grew acquainted with the Tsutsukakushi family during his childhood — it was the result of Tsukasa's wish for a family in her most desperate and lonely times, which separated him from his actual family. The second time leap ends with both wishes being cancelled, bringing them to a brand new timeline.
In the new timeline, Youto would once again grow distant from Tsukiko and the rest of his acquaintances. However, during high school, Tsukiko, still retaining all of her memories through the notes, once again finds him at the hill with the cedar tree. She forces Youto to read through all of her notes, helping him rekindle all of his past relationships. For some time, she grows excessively obssessed with the idea of restoring the world to exactly how it used to be, but Youto helps her understand the importance of embracing the present and allowing relationships to naturally form. They eventually make the decision to burn the notes, realizing that the most important memories will always remain in their hearts.
By the end of the light novel, Youto and Tsukiko are in an official relationship and living together.
Tsutsukakushi Tsukasa[]
Youto became acquainted with his preschool teacher, Tsukasa, due to a wish for family she made to the Cat God during her most lonely and desperate times. Youto often visited her home, making many memories in the place of her children as they took care of each other, and seeing her as his "first love."
One time, Tsukasa's daughters would return from Italy to visit her. Despite initially claiming to hate her mother, Tsukushi's true feelings were later revealed as she has longed for memories with her mother since their separation. This prompts Youto to give up the memories he made with Tsukasa and bestow them upon Tsukushi.
When Youto and Tsukiko travel back to the past for a second time in order to resolve a "curse" tied to the bloodline, they reveal their true identity to Tsukasa. In the end, Tsukasa would finally reveal the truth of her wish to Youto. She cancels her wish, giving Youto back a happy family of his own. Despite this, memories of Tsukasa remain precious to Youto, making lasting impact on his life.
Azuki Azusa[]
After Youto borrows the Cat God's power to rid himself of an inconvenient facade, Azusa becomes its recipient. In an attempt to get back his facade after suffering unexpected consequences, Youto designates himself as Azusa's "pet" to become closer with her. This leads Youto to help resolve a misunderstanding between Azusa and her friends in her former school, and their bond continues to grow after Youto succeeds in taking back his facade.
Azusa soon finds herself head-over-heels for Youto, understanding him as a kind person despite his questionable reputation among the students. She seeks to understand and support Youto in any way she could, likened by Youto to the swallow in the story of The Happy Prince.
At one point, Youto learns that Azusa used to have a very close friend named "Ma-chan," who she had since lost contact with. Youto deduces "Ma-chan" to be Maimaki Mai, and in his later time travel to the past, he manages to reunite them, leading to a lasting friendship in the new timeline.
Emanuela Pollarola[]
Meeting at a church two years before the start of the story, Youto found Emi to be a kind yet misunderstood girl, and offered to be her ally, marking the start of a series of daily hangouts. Though she initally acted in a tsundere fashion towards Youto, she opened up about her personal struggles with time.
Emi would grow to like Youto. One day, she asks Youto about his preferences for younger girls, to which he responds "someone with twin tails, who talks in unclear expressions and in third person, and who would say 'I love Onii-chan.'" Despite finding it difficult, Emi would attempt to appeal to Youto by adjusting herself to this image, eventually forming a sibling-like bond with Youto.
Maimaki Mai[]
Maimaki Mai initially despises Youto for his perverted nature, often openly expressing her disdain without mincing words. Though Youto initially viewed the distance between them as impossible to mend, this would change during a school trip. Finding herself constantly alone while Youto maintains strong bonds with many people despite his perceived flaws, Mai joins his group with the intent to observe and learn from him.
Later, the two of them meet up alone. Mai admits to her struggles bonding with peers, expressing frustration and jealousy. She recounts her experience with a kindergarten friend, A-chan: they had to go to different grade schools, but made a promise to always stay friends. However, after a few phone calls and letters, they stopped talking. However, Youto vents about how his memories disappear almost immediately, and no matter the relationships he forms, he would end up with nothing in the end. They both become convinced that they'd be much better off in each other's place, leading to a series of arguments going in circles, until the Cat God responds to their wishes by swapping their bodies.
Though they become aware of the Cat God's influence, Mai refuses to cancel the wish and instead experiences a day in Youto's life. Mai, in Youto's body, is accompanied by Tsukiko on a trip to the Ninja Village. There, she comes to understand the extent of Tsukiko's care for Youto, as she is bombarded by Tsukiko's questions in private as she notes down Youto's every action in her notebook. When the day ends, she admits to Youto that his relationships are too complicated to handle, and that they are fundamentally different people who cannot become each other. With Youto being unaware of the true purpose of Tsukiko's notes at the time, Mai plays a crucial role in helping him understand that she has done so to preserve memories in Youto's place. The field trip ends with their reconciliation and the forming of a new friendship.
At one point, Youto learns that Azusa used to have a very close friend named "Ma-chan," who she had since lost contact with. Youto deduces that the "A-chan" previously mentioned by Mai in in fact Azusa, and in his later time travel to the past, he manages to reunite them, leading to a lasting friendship in the new timeline.
Quotes[]
- (To younger Youto): "It's difficult to make a girl smile, even as a grown-up. But you should never, ever, make a girl cry. And if ever you see a girl crying, help her. You might not be able to make her smile, but they'll know how you feel."
Media Appearances[]
Anime[]
Light Novel[]
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| Volume 9 | |
| Volume 10 | |
| Volume 11 | |
| Volume 12 | |
| Volume 13 |
Manga[]
Trivia[]
Etymology[]
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