I was expecting this to be kind of insidious with the editor just wanting one of them and basically working to break them up, but thisbwas a cute and uplifting chapter!

I like how frank the editor is with them. As for Shimizu's writing not being on the same level as Ren's art, I am fully expecting the situation to reverse before long. When you are not yet great at something but have a mentor, it usually is pretty clear how to improve, and if you keep going, you'll eventually get good. But when you are a natural talent like Ren, how do you improve? Where do you need to go? A regular mentor will not be able to answer that kind of question, so many talented folks just hit a wall in their craft and slide right back into depression...

Cute chapter. Glad to see something uplifting in the midst of all the (well-written) depression.

Ugh, extroverts...

But they did have a great time after all.

And a promising meeting with their editor as well. ^_^

I apologize in advance for (possibly) contributing to a debate that has stopped some time ago, but I have something to say.

Then they could discuss it, they don't need someone jumping in to defend them, they can do it themselves.

In theory, this argument is good. The practical problem is, many work that feature gender/sexual minority characters are just satisfied with playing it vague and never make the said character come out in dialogue or monologue, not even thinking to themselves "oh so that's why. I like girls / I'm not a boy as they say I am / etc". So, how should readers discuss this kind of characters? Should they treat them as [some gender/sexual minority]? Say, the one character that behaves like transgender in every aspect (even suffered from someone outing them) except they didn't proclaim it themselves?

And then we have societal and cultural differences. For example, I heard that in Japan, the people that's socially accepted as transgender (the ones that would be met with "ah okay you're indeed trans" instead of "no you haven't done xxx you can't be") are those that have completed bottom surgery. So characters that have not met the additional bars in their societal context (but otherwise met the definition of LGBT+ in western culture) would be even less likely to come out to people/themselves. What now?

And then we have societal and cultural differences. For example, I heard that in Japan, the people that's socially accepted as transgender (the ones that would be met with "ah okay you're indeed trans" instead of "no you haven't done xxx you can't be") are those that have completed bottom surgery.

That's because in Japan you can only legally change your gender if you have bottom surgery and get sterilized. The goverment is deeply conservative and backwards.

ninryu posted:

And then we have societal and cultural differences. For example, I heard that in Japan, the people that's socially accepted as transgender (the ones that would be met with "ah okay you're indeed trans" instead of "no you haven't done xxx you can't be") are those that have completed bottom surgery.

That's because in Japan you can only legally change your gender if you have bottom surgery and get sterilized. The goverment is deeply conservative and backwards.

Not really the case anymore https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/09/29/japan-court-drops-key-legal-hurdle-for-transgender-people

uh oh
does it count as child kidnapping if your kid came to you?

It's back!!! Uh oh, and so is the drama.

The art is gorgeous as always.

last edited at Oct 1, 2026 12:37PM

Child Matsuri was such an adorable little bean.. Didn't have a great mom though in the slightest.

This chapter proved that Masturi really needed Ren as much as Ren needed her.

Also it's scary how much Koyomi looks just like she did when she was small.

And very shocked she's here surely she didn't just run away she's way too small to know where her mom lives now and show up... So did the garbage ex husband that forced her to commit a crime and then take her away just dump their kid with her!?

I'm so happy this is back but that ending oof Now I can't wait for the next chapter for the explanation on why Koyomi is there.

And very shocked she's here surely she didn't just run away she's way too small to know where her mom lives now and show up... So did the garbage ex husband that forced her to commit a crime and then take her away just dump their kid with her!?

seems like the basic set up. a classic, really.

lemme guess, he heard about your shiny new writing gig, and bills in hand, pranced his way to your apartment to plea "do it for the family?"

I think I got at least like 76% correct.

You can see Koyomi on page 19 in a car, so she didn't "run away", someone brought her there.

last edited at Oct 1, 2026 1:47AM

The latest chapter is very comfortable indeed
And her daughter came to see her!
How did the daughter end up knowing her address?
Interesting ...

Still very comfortable to see them together.
It seems that their life is getting better as each chapter goes on.

Damn right it's already October :P

You can see Koyomi on page 19 in a car, so she didn't "run away", someone brought her there.

I didn't catch that! she's peaking out of the window on the bridge haha.

Ren you are the most transgender character on this goddamn earth

Anyway, non-science baby has arrived!!!

last edited at Oct 1, 2026 10:19AM

oh wow i missed themmm, and ofc her daughter showed up cutie is about to bring some more angstt. also ren is literally me

Dammit, mom... I understand having to work, but that was just pure neglect.

And what a surprise at the end there...

You can see Koyomi on page 19 in a car, so she didn't "run away", someone brought her there.

My first guess was that father must have a new kid with a new wife. We'll see.

You can see Koyomi on page 19 in a car, so she didn't "run away", someone brought her there.

I didn't catch that! she's peaking out of the window on the bridge haha.

the set up feels like "you took the fall and can't get custody, and therefore i don't have to pay child support so here you go"

the set up feels like "you took the fall and can't get custody, and therefore i don't have to pay child support so here you go"

I don't think that's legally coherent. If she doesn't have custody, he does, which means he's responsible for the kid's support.

This is so freaking good....