On the one hand, having a term that encapsulates "cute girls being close to each other, but not romantically involved, with a strong focus on their relationship"

That used to be shojou ai lol. But i guess that's taboo now. I think anything that fell into shojou ai would be relabeled now with either subtext or yuri crush.

I think this one, unless the extra adds something new to their relationship, would be better labeled with yuri crush and het.

last edited at May 18, 2026 2:22AM

shojou ai would be relabeled now with either subtext or yuri crush.

Really? "shoujo ai" didn't include yuri that was definite but not sexually explicit?

There was never "shoujo ai", yuri always included both implied romance between girls and explicit lesbian themes.
God, I hoped we left that shit behind. Why are people resurrecting misinformation from more than a decade ago?

last edited at May 19, 2026 1:16AM

"Shojo-ai" exist in Japan, but that's just a synonym for Lolicon there. Shojo-ai being for subtexty yuri stuff was from Occidental editors that wanted a distinction between the explicit and the implicit yuri. You can say you like Shojo-ai in Japan, you're just gonna get some weird looks.

wow, like 90% of the comments since ch7 dropped are just semantic arguments about definitions. that's just painful
not as painful as seeing the timestamp of my last comment and realizing that the last time I checked this series was mere hours before this chapter dropped

ugh I wish this was more cathartic at least. like I'm super glad that we got the closure of her closing that loose thread of a playboy, and she was smiles afterwards. but this chapter felt like nothing compared to some of the earlier ones. heck, was the page count shorter too? can't see page numbers on mobile

here's hoping the tankoubon extra gives me something, else I'm gonna be sitting here wishing it was like a oneshot or somethin

The extra is very cute, I do feel like I got hit over the head seeing their birthdates as 2006 and 2008 respectively... I'm not used to see people that much younger than me to be adults lmao.

last edited at May 27, 2026 4:59PM

The extra is very cute, I do feel like I got hit over the head seeing their birthdates as 2006 and 2008 respectively... I'm not used to see people that much younger than me to be adults lmao.

legit I was thinking something similar like "wow was this set in the future or something lol 2006 is ridiculously young" and then I quickly did the math and realized thats a 20 year old and felt old.

Should we put this in the subtext tag instead of yuri tag?

Should we put this in the subtext tag instead of yuri tag?

I mean Nina is/was in love with Mao. Just because they didn't end up together officially in the end doesn't change that fact. I think the tag is fine. Plus if they keep getting closer like this extra bit here who knows they could actually end up together. Mao did think of her when she needed someone to get through the night, maybe not in a sexual way yet but again no telling where that could lead in the future.

This extra was cute and it looks like they're gonna continue getting closer and confiding in each other open sure but my gay heart is just gonna imagine that they do eventually end up together and call it a day.

Should we put this in the subtext tag instead of yuri tag?

I mean Nina is/was in love with Mao. Just because they didn't end up together officially in the end doesn't change that fact. I think the tag is fine. Plus if they keep getting closer like this extra bit here who knows they could actually end up together. Mao did think of her when she needed someone to get through the night, maybe not in a sexual way yet but again no telling where that could lead in the future.

This extra was cute and it looks like they're gonna continue getting closer and confiding in each other open sure but my gay heart is just gonna imagine that they do eventually end up together and call it a day.

Do we know for certain that Nina was in love with Mao? I feel like we got all of the subtext implications, but it's never explicitly clear that that's the case. I think subtext would be more appropriate.

I was even thinking, this extra is cute, but like give me something a little more definitive in their character bios at least.

This was cute. I'm def thinking this is more subtext than yuri

That aside, it feels kinda weird seeing the birth year of characters. Like damn

2008…2006??? I feel old dude, what do you mean they are not 13??

...Wait, that's it?

Im glad we at least got an epilouge with some post drama fluff

We got Nina asking "what if it was me" (calling you cute) in tears, before pulling off her top and pushing Mao down. I think that goes beyond subtext.

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/i_wish_it_had_just_been_love_ch06#11

Unintuitively, the rules say

For stories featuring one-sided love as a side-plot or secondary character trait, use Yuri crush.

So this actually is yuri by the tags, since it's the focus of the MC.

We got Nina asking "what if it was me" (calling you cute) in tears, before pulling off her top and pushing Mao down. I think that goes beyond subtext.

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/i_wish_it_had_just_been_love_ch06#11

Yep but subtext also says this

Often used when there is no clear confirmation of a relationship in a story where the relationship itself is prominent rather than underlying

It's not about the ambiguity of the feelings, but about the ambiguity of the relationship.
Yuri + subtext wouldn't be wrong. But it doesn't really matter I think

last edited at May 27, 2026 6:26PM

We got Nina asking "what if it was me" (calling you cute) in tears, before pulling off her top and pushing Mao down. I think that goes beyond subtext.

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/i_wish_it_had_just_been_love_ch06#11

Because of the following chapter, particularly here:
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/i_wish_it_had_just_been_love_ch07#17

"Senpai, I may not have experienced romance just yet, but I think I love you even more than that."

She's not good at dealing with romance and was forcing herself when pushing Mao down. She admires Mao, and wants Mao to be happy, and so she was willing to replace the shitty guy in her life if it would have made Mao happy despite not being interested in a physical relationship.

Now, do I think that's the most likely explanation? I have no idea. The point is it's ambiguous. Nina reads as a bit aroace to me, which she could still be gay for Mao of course, but it read more as she's still figuring herself out.

cute ... ill miss them... mao don't get surgery the cosmetic industry just prays on ppls insecurities everyone's their own worst self critic u should focus on making urself happy...

wait isn't the drinking age in japan still 20? how the fuck is MC going to the mixers lmao it had me double checking my own age

Mixer doesn't have to have alcohol. I think Girl Friends had mixers in high school. Alternately, underage drinking does happen.

Mixer doesn't have to have alcohol. I think Girl Friends had mixers in high school. Alternately, underage drinking does happen.

tbf im p sure the mixers in girl friends involved 20+ year old guys buying alcohol for highschool girls iirc its been a while since ive read it though

Progress!
Whether it should be tagged as yuri or subtext makes me curious to see what the author themselves considers the genre of this manga to be.

last edited at May 27, 2026 9:44PM

Nina is a lesbian who purposefully didn't shoot her shot because she knew she was gonna be turned down. The bit at the end of chapter 6 was her being desperate, and I'm glad she didn't go further because Mao is either straight or not interested in Nina that way.

In the end, the ending and the extra chapter are them agreeing to be just friends, only not in so many words because the author felt like being indirect.

last edited at May 27, 2026 9:54PM

Progress!
Whether it should be tagged as yuri or subtext makes me curious to see what the author themselves considers the genre of this manga to be.

As we discussed earlier in the thread, from a Japanese perspective this is 100% yuri because yuri just means relationships between girls. They don't have to be romantic relationships. Yuri on this site, or as Westerners know it, means sapphic relationships. So the author would say it is yuri and subtext isn't relevant because that's not a designation they have.