If your guess is right, my question is about the fate of the luckless mixer guy . . .

Yamada gets some 'different' fertilizer for the gardens..... ;-)

I was actually kind of surprised that Yamada took so readily to calling the new girl by her first name. She doesn't even call Mikawacchi by her first name, nor vice versa, and they've known each other the longest. It just seems kinda...out-of-character for the straight-laced Yamada. I wonder if this is going to be a plot point.

I also wonder if we're setting up a story arc to really dig into Kase's insecurities. The story arc up until now has been Yamada's struggles with her self-esteem because of things Kase was doing, innocent things that Yamada's mind spun up into a crisis. This could be the start of the same thing in reverse, Yamada just being Yamada and Kase spinning those things up in her mind and getting worked up over nothing.

last edited at Apr 6, 2018 9:20AM

This feels like the first time we ever got something "new" from this sequel series. The last two chapters were flashbacks, but this one is moving forward with new ideas, scenarios and conflicts.

I'm excited to see more!

After reading that lipstick scene yet again, I'm going to partially disagree with myself and go along with several other folks--I just don't quite know what to make of it.

I still think the visuals suggest that probably the main dynamic is that Yamada's cuteness upgrade, slight as it is, awakens the familiar Yamada-Devouring-Monster that lives inside Kase, the one that she has so far been able to keep (mostly) in check.

But Kase's spoken lines are rather abrupt and chilling (assuming the translation gets the tone right):

"That doesn't suit you. That kinda stuff doesn't suit you, Yamada. You should stop."

Kase seems to blame Yamada for her own reaction, and doesn't even consider Yamada's own opinion about how she looks or make any move to sooth Yamada's embarrassment.

These two have had misunderstandings before, but I've never thought they weren't treating each other right. This time I felt a little more like: "That was bad."

I was actually kind of surprised that Yamada took so readily to calling the new girl by her first name. She doesn't even call Mikawacchi by her first name, nor vice versa, and they've known each other the longest. It just seems kinda...out-of-character for the straight-laced Yamada. I wonder if this is going to be a plot point.

In the case of Mikawa (and Kase for that matter), Yamada probably learned her family name first from a class introduction or something before they really became friends, and vice versa, so that's just how they started calling each other and it sort of got ingrained, so they likely just stick with that because as Yamada says it would feel weird for a while to change it.

In the case of Hana, she just flat out tells Yamada when they first get introduced to call her by her first name so she did (plus Hana is the kind of name flower loving Yamada would like anyway) and reciprocates.

As for Kase's reaction to the lipstick, I think there's a few factors at play here - as noted Kase had a similar hang-up over Yamada wearing an apron at the school so we have some precedent. Plus she's already uncomfortable being at this fancy cafe plus she found out that Yamada made a new friend she's already on a first name basis with plus Yamada's really happy getting a gift from Mikawa PLUS Yamada is talking about how all the cool girls at her school are wearing makeup and thinks she should too. All of that is kind of a perfect storm for kicking up Kase's already latent jealousy over Yamada to the max. That doesn't excuse Kase, but it does explain her extreme behaviour some.

That doesn't excuse Kase, but it does explain her extreme behaviour some.

Good summary, jovewolf. As your last line suggests, that scene comes very close to Kase being mean to Yamada.

And should that line be crossed, surely the end of all things is upon us.

last edited at Apr 6, 2018 11:26AM

Oh no! NO NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I agree, I don't think there's really any deeper meaning to Yamada's desire to use last names. She got to know Kase as Kase-san, that's familiar to her, so that's the name she wants to keep using. It fits with her character of having trouble adapting to new circumstances (like the way her being lost and confused after moving to Tokyo is played up). She even explicitly brings that up as a reason to stick with last names.

After looking at the lipstick scene again, I think a big part of it is that Kase just gets turned on watching Yamada put it on, and asks her to take it off because she wanted to make out with her right away, haha. If her reaction was purely from possessiveness, then she wouldn't encourage Yamada to put it on in the first place.

There's trouble in gay paradise! (But I'm sure it'll work out.)

Well, I think that if you, the first time you said the first name of your girlfriend it's in your first time (oh, the irony) and then you find out she calls other person by her first name (and that that person use it with your girlfriend) and, in plus of that, she try makeup, I at least wonder about "wow, she is changing so fast, isn't it?" and start to questioning about the things she do too, at least until you get used (maybe a few days).
I don't see possessivenes in Kase, I just see a person who has been going out for a little less than two years and, even if her girlfriend (and she herself) improved in that time, they don't change so much at all, and now her girlfriend it's changing so fast (she even didn't feel right because of the shop theme xD "too fashionable") that you has a little fear. I expect that she'll realise that changes aren't bad in the next chapters.
Also, be brave! It's nothing wrong kissing your girlfriend in public!
And she is me ;; please, let her be gay ;; (well, it's 20 min if I park at first try, 30 if I go to the place I usually go)

I think it's kinda understandable for Kase to be a little bit jealous.
Also hooray for a chapter that actually progresses things instead of just more flashbacks, it's about time.

Holy crap, Hana-chan is just ridiculously adorable.

last edited at Apr 6, 2018 1:07PM

While I didn't read it the way many people did (as in Kase negging her), I do absolutely understand why several people read it that way. A shame, this scene really could go both ways, and that in itself is a bit of a failing in the storytelling if it isn't intended to be read that way.

Some Kase-faces do seem a bit unsettling there. Intentional? Forgot to color the blush? I'm not sure.

Either way, thinking on it and talking with a friend about it, the "she is negging" is probably the more reasonable reading here. ESPECIALLY couple with some of the facial expressions. Quite possibly caused by the author using poor romance tropes uncritically. Kase and Yamade sometimes did fall into heterosexual romance tropes before, and this may stem from simply mimicking stuff there.

last edited at Apr 6, 2018 3:14PM

Not a fan of this turn of events much. As others have pointed out, it is consistent with Kase's past characterization; she has always been possessive of Yamada and feared losing her, but it's never manifested in such an unhealthy way before. No doubt Kase is feeling more anxious about holding onto Yamada than ever, but this is not a defensible way to do it.

Even if Kase's behavior wasn't a calculated move to keep Yamada under control, she still lied in a way that would make Yamada feel bad about herself, rather than just telling her the truth - and Kase should know, from many prior interactions, that Yamada doesn't think much of herself and would easily be damaged by such remarks.

last edited at Apr 6, 2018 3:21PM

Yes! They are finally out of high school! My girls have left the playground!

I think it's still such a strange concept the whole last name first name business. I would feel weird if a friend or lover only ever called me by my last name.
I like this latest chapter I think it's about time that the author injected some drama into the mix. Relationships ain't all about sunflowers and marigolds.

Does anyone have the Japanese dialogue of what Kase said to Yamada? Not that I think the translations are bad, but having the original intent might be useful for all this rampant speculation.

Does anyone have the Japanese dialogue of what Kase said to Yamada? Not that I think the translations are bad, but having the original intent might be useful for all this rampant speculation.

Here you go.

Yup. That's definitely her arse she's staring at.

Yup. That's definitely her arse she's staring at.

Agreed. It's very possible that Kase is being possessive, or honestly thinks the lipstick looks bad, but I think her immediate motive in telling Yamada to take the lipstick off is because she's horny and wants to make out.

Also, the translated version says basically the same thing as the original Japanese.

last edited at Apr 6, 2018 7:34PM

As for Kase's reaction to the lipstick, I think there's a few factors at play here - as noted Kase had a similar hang-up over Yamada wearing an apron at the school so we have some precedent. Plus she's already uncomfortable being at this fancy cafe plus she found out that Yamada made a new friend she's already on a first name basis with plus Yamada's really happy getting a gift from Mikawa PLUS Yamada is talking about how all the cool girls at her school are wearing makeup and thinks she should too. All of that is kind of a perfect storm for kicking up Kase's already latent jealousy over Yamada to the max. That doesn't excuse Kase, but it does explain her extreme behaviour some.

I think this is a good summary. I very seriously doubt that we're about to suddenly uncover Kase's deep control issues that she's been hiding all this time. It's either going to be "Hey, I was a jerk to you earlier, and I shouldn't have been, and I'm sorry. I just get so scared, you know?" or "Hey, I was a jerk to you earlier, and I shouldn't have been, and I'm sorry, but holy crap you were so hot with that lipstick on I could barely contain myself."

I think it would be great to have a few chapters from Kase's point of view

last edited at Apr 6, 2018 9:39PM

When I first read that line about Kase-San saying “that kind of stuff doesn’t suit you, you should stop” I thought it was a red flag/seemed a little possessive (not in a positive way). I think the way page 17 is drawn it’s eroticizing the lipstick application process/it’s something that Kate-San is interested in/something that Kase-San likes... so I wonder if the “stuff” that Kase-San is referring to is the “being mature like everyone else” aspect. I don’t think we really get a sense of why Yamada-San wants to try on the lipstick, other than “everyone at uni wears makeup and looks so mature”. If this is the case, I actually agree with Kate-San. I don’t think Yamada-san needs to force herself to be mature/force herself to be like everyone else. I think she’s definitely got a childlike innocence to her (as seen as her reaction to the plane ride, the trains, talking about sex etc), and to force herself to be more mature because everyone is kind of going against who she really is.

Especially since we’re coming up with the whole past relationships vs new experiences/people, this mature (older me) vs the younger/high school me will be an interesting dynamic to explore. Kane-San and Yamada-San fell in love with each other because of certain qualities/aspects they had in high school. Part of the whole university/post-high school experience is growing up/understanding different parts of yourself/finding out how you want to be. It will be interesting to see if and how they grow to accept the new aspects of each other.

The chapter's just ramping up the tension (sexual and otherwise) after the ending of the previous work diffused it. Kase's jealousy and sex-drive could be interpreted as intertwined and these scenes are being used to show that she still doesn't feel secure in her relationship as well as wanting a lot more physically than Yamada is currently giving.

Then we have the set-up for next chapter's party and it's a perfect storm for...torqued Kase.

last edited at Apr 6, 2018 10:44PM

The body language in that scene seems to suggest that Kase-san immediately regrets what she said, and making Yamada feel bad.

People seem to think a dark storm is coming, because Kase got a little weird about Yamada trying on lip stick. The history of the two series doesn't support that, though. Sure there might be a fight, but it will probably be over, in a chapter, or two., and when it's done the couple will have aired out their feelings, becoming closer for it.
The series has never been agsty, and I doubt it will start now. I, for one, hope complications, like boys, and possessive jealously are left out.
Sometimes, I do get the feeling that Kase's feelings are much deeper than Yamada's, and poor Yamada is just getting dragged along for the ride. I just chalk that up, to the fact, that Yamada is extremely shy, and innocent, though.

last edited at Apr 7, 2018 1:26AM

People seem to think a dark storm is coming, because Kase got a little weird about Yamada trying on lip stick. The history of the two series doesn't support that, though. Sure there might be a fight, but it will probably be over, in a chapter, or two., and when it's done the couple will have aired out their feeling, becoming closer for it.
The series has never been agsty, and I doubt it will start now. I, for one, hope complications, like boys, and possessive jealously are left out.

On thing to remember though is now the author has a publisher and editors to answer to and give suggestions/imput on where they think the story should go and what should be in it. It is not like it be the first time publishers pushed a author to make changes in a story.