;-;

Bold of you to throw these feels in my face.

What the dang

Now "Hey! Chihiro!" makes sense

Anyone else find the twist really predictable?

Okay, ouch.

Ohh noo.. whyy!? ( Y^Y )

ohh no no no

tragedy?

I suspect a "tragedy" tag would count as a spoiler...

Some nice hints in just the first few pages to the twist - Natsu mentioning that the only thing she knows has changed in town is the store across from the cemetery, Chihiro is visiting in August (for Obon), Natsu's feet are always very conspicuously hidden.

Damn.... never end up fighting and leave without making up.

I suspect a "tragedy" tag would count as a spoiler...

well it's a given that someone died from the start, just that Natsu was the narrator the whole time wasn't, I would think Ghost would be more of a spoiler than Tragedy

So she’s natsu, she the girls dead girlfriend ?

Anyone else find the twist really predictable?

Yeah, I find it pretty obvious.

I didn't think it was obvious at first, but I'm an airhead.

So she’s natsu, she the girls dead girlfriend ?

That would be it, yeah.
Edit: To-be girlfriend. They didn't actually get together in the story. Natsu died before they could.

last edited at Aug 5, 2018 2:05AM

So, the real mystery is who the hell opens a convenience store next to a cemetery? Twice?

So, the real mystery is who the hell opens a convenience store next to a cemetery? Twice?

People need snacks while they grieve. Or cigarettes. Or cheap black umbrellas, because if there's anything I've learned from watching movies, it's that every funeral takes place in the rain, and everyone has identical black umbrellas.

last edited at Aug 5, 2018 3:07AM

Anyone else find the twist really predictable?

It totally got me. Might have been because I just read the author's other story where there's a love triangle.

So, the real mystery is who the hell opens a convenience store next to a cemetery? Twice?

People need snacks while they grieve. Or cigarettes. Or cheap black umbrellas, because if there's anything I've learned from watching movies, it's that every funeral takes place in the rain, and everyone has identical black umbrellas.

But if it really is a marketing bonanza you say it is then why did the first one close down? Did people just decide to stop dying? I guess they could have also charged too much for those damn umbrellas.

I actually went and read it through after realizing the twist, and noticed that there are a whole bunch of times where it SEEMS like she's participating in the conversation, but she really isn't, like:
Chihiro's Mom(?): Hey, the bath is ready!
Natsu: I'll wait in your room!
Chihiro: Okay!
Like, Chihiro SEEMS to be reacting to "I'll wait in your room," but was actually responding to "The bath is ready.".
Clever.

Damn.... never end up fighting and leave without making up.

I'd go even further: if you have something important to say to someone near you, say it right now. You may not see them tomorrow or ever.

I actually went and read it through after realizing the twist, and noticed that there are a whole bunch of times where it SEEMS like she's participating in the conversation, but she really isn't, like:
Chihiro's Mom(?): Hey, the bath is ready!
Natsu: I'll wait in your room!
Chihiro: Okay!
Like, Chihiro SEEMS to be reacting to "I'll wait in your room," but was actually responding to "The bath is ready.".
Clever.

In the beginning where Chihiro's sister(?) says "there's nothing here", it sounds like she's repeating Natsu's line to show agreement, but she's just saying it normally.

And when her mom says "I've made dinner for the two of you" it's for Chihiro and her sister, not Chihiro and Natsu.

So often authors will cheat to make a surprising twist. The sudden reveal is not actually consistent with what came before. But there's no cheating here, just misdirection. The ending makes perfect sense.

The thing I like about this is that, even though I figured out the twist the instant Chihiro said she was visiting a grave, the story didn't lose anything for it. Because the author was careful not to cheat to make the reveal more surprising, they were also careful to write a story that worked both ways, so that knowing the true situation informs and enriches the second read-through, rather than detracting from it.