Toradora! - Volume 5, Chapter 5

The Return of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong was first serialized in newspapers from between 20 May 1959 and 5 July 1961.

This is the second book of the Condor Trilogy. The story has undergone two revisions. The second edition was released in May 1976 and and the third edition was published in January 2003.

Shi Man was the best special agent in the organization, and she was supposed to retire in peace, but they came after her to purge her anyway. She died exhausted after turning the tables against the organization’s agents… but was reborn, transmigrating into a book as its villainess! The villainess’s family is rich and powerful. Being the only daughter, her mother and brothers would pamper her out of control, and she was engaged to the male lead at birth. Yet, the body’s original owner messed up big-time despite being dealt the perfect hand. She harassed the female lead to win the male lead’s attention and affection until she eventually incensed the male lead. He threw her into the colosseum ring, where she was torn to pieces. Her family naturally went all out to avenge her and ended up suffering multiple casualties as they fell into desperate straits…

On the other hand, when Shi Man reincarnated, she told the male lead that they should go their separate ways and pretend they never knew each other even if they met again. She even paid the female lead with emotional duress compensation and told her they had nothing to do with each other from then on. However, after parting ways with them and preparing to begin a new life, the male lead regretted his choice and started wooing her. The supporting male characters who were never interested in her also had a sudden change of heart, and even the female lead was now offering to be her follower! Staring at the mob flocking around Shi Man, the Shi family was furious. “She belongs to our family! Stay away!”

Toradora!’s story begins with the male protagonist Ryuji Takasu who is frustrated at trying to look his best as he enters his second year of high school. Despite his gentle personality, his eyes make him look like an intimidating delinquent so he is utterly hopeless about his chances of getting a girlfriend anytime soon, and does not have many close friends either. After being greeted by his hungover mother in the morning, Ryuji goes to school and is happy to find that he gets to be in the same class as his best friend Yusaku Kitamura and crush Minori Kushieda. However, it is then that he unexpectedly knocks into “the school’s most dangerous animal of the highest risk level” — Taiga Aisaka — who just happens to also be in his class, and is a good friend of Minori.

Taiga has a negative attitude towards others and will not hesitate to snap at people. After meeting Ryuji, she takes an instant dislike of him. Taiga comes from a rich family, though she moved out to live on her own due to family issues, and by coincidence is now living in an apartment next door to Ryuji. After Ryuji discovers that Taiga has a crush on Yusaku, and Taiga finds out about Ryuji’s affections towards Minori, Ryuji suggests that they cooperate so they can win the object of their affections. Ryuji says he will do anything to get closer to Minori, which Taiga exploits, making Ryuji her personal servant, and getting him to do household chores like cooking and cleaning for her. Taiga spends a lot of her time over at his house, so much so that she could almost be considered a member of his family. Since Ryuji spends a lot of time with Taiga, he is opened up to her world and to a side of her that most people do not see. The two also attempt to help each other in order to improve how people view them. Unknown to them, however, people they know from school start to become curious about their strange relationship together and rumors begin to spread about them.

A striking man of mysterious origin and peerless talent, he looks back at the world, in all its entirety, with utter disdain. And yet, in the treacherous and unpredictable ultimate formation of the Boundless Secular World, he guards a breathtaking ancient qin with broken strings, waiting silently for the destined one to arrive!