It's especially hard if you are gay. Because the chances that the person that you are in love with is also gay are pretty slim to begin with, so when it happens that that person is gay, but not for you, it hits even harder. It doesn't mean you had a chance to begin with, but at least, when you think that this person is straight, you can console yourself in some way...

As someone who was super close to my best friend and later realized it was love, can say that it’s not that much easier when they’re straight lol. Especially when you see them dating someone and want to be happy but also can’t help but feel “goddamn it’s not fair that someone else can make you that happy.”

I usually find myself relating to Adachi but I’ve literally been Tarumi in this situation. It sucks. And that’s life.

last edited at Jul 23, 2026 7:02PM

This is never how you want a friendship to end. At least I get the feeling that Tarumin will bounce back. She's clearly spent many a year bottling this up, and though it's a harsh way for those feelings to end, she has more mental fortitude than most! Good on her for having that burst of confidence to let it out, and to let those tears flow.

Somehow, I think seeing it through Shimamura's viewpoint made this more of a gutpunch than any alternative perspective for that reason: all you can do is observe it through the eyes of the one person who knows for certain that it is over for good. No glimmer of hope here.

Here's to you, Tarumi, and your admission to the Rejected by Childhood Friend Club. You'll be in good company.