Every year I re-read this oneshot and still love it like the first time. Let make a few things clear:
Chiharu cheated on Asami in high school. 1) She didn't remember Asami's name. Full name. A few years might be enough to forget your high school crushes, but not someone you used to DATE, especially not when you have both their surname and first name in front of you. That only happens if you were going through girl after girl. 2) Chiharu swiftly brushed off Asami's hurt by saying 'does it matter?' Of course it mattered, or else she wouldn't have gone as far as quitting job and moving house just to revenge. Also nobody would say that vague blame-shifting sentence right after denying the cheating ("You believed the rumour that I cheated?" - normal people would reconfirm that "I did not cheat on you", only cheaters would go "Does it matter even if I cheated?")
Chiharu might have changed now. Like Asami's observation, Chiharu wasn't somebody who would stick to things, so the fact that she now chased after Asami through a rainy night might signify that she's serious about this relationship now. However, frankly speaking, just sitting outside in the rain in one night is not a long enough challenge for an adult playgirl. If Chiharu had been persistent for a month then I'd be more convinced. Asami gave in too quickly.
I sympathize with Asami's revenge. Do I think it's silly? Yes. But only because it's harming HER more than it harmed Chiharu. Come on, quitting jobs and moving houses is a financial hit for nothing, because 2 months of dating isn't enough to make Chiharu heartbreak that much. But while I oppose the method, I support Asami's desire to revenge, that's something players and cheaters deserve. Asami was scared off of relationships for 7 years after that stunt, so Chiharu had better paid for it. Asami should have done something smarter like becoming a close friend then interfering with Chiharu's career or love life.
Asami had never stopped loving Chiharu. That's why she chose such a self-defeating method to revenge, she simply couldn't hurt Chiharu other than planning a small heartbreak. That's why a week after moving, she still felt depressed - Asami was experiencing the heartbreak that was supposed to be for Chiharu. So I don't blame her for getting back to Chiharu even amidst all the doubts. Sometimes you just gotta enjoy what you really desire.
Lastly, the aim of this story is to make the readers just as uneasy as Asami is towards Chiharu. Was Chiharu a player or was she innocent? Is Chiharu faithful now or still a womanizer with advanced skills? It did very well in showing us how life sometimes is that complicated, you can't always know whether something is a lie or not, and you can't always discard "suspicious people" if they're the only one you're attracted to. That is an amazing idea of a story.
last edited at Jul 4, 2019 10:26PM