You do if you're a narcissist whose self image hinges on the belief that you're supremely desirable. I don't think she cares about Shizuka as a person I think she cares about her as a living representation of her failure as a seductress.

Didn't she jump on the whole "supremely desirable" train as a reaction though? She seems altogether less flamboyant in the few middle-school flashbacks. Rather it seems to me like the whole idea of exclusive relationship goes completely over her head so she couldn't grok the actual reason Shizuka broke up with her way back when and instead got fixated on appearances as the "only sensible" explanation. (She may or may not have arrived at this conclusion while bedridden and literally delirious from hunger; would explain a fair bit that.)

May have become bit of an end in itself since then, mind you...

There's something darkly comical in how literally ass backwards Kaoru's reading of the fundamental issue appears to be - she's fixated on reaching some ephemeral threshold of desirability she thinks will meet Shizuka's requirements for taking her back, when it's specifically her ladykiller prowess (apparently pretty formidable even before she started swilling the "elegant and gorgeous vamp" Kool-Aid) and how she seeks to improve it that drives her away in the first place.
Gets a bit tragicomic when you note how obviously Shizuka isn't nearly as over their old romance as she likes to think; Kaoru would probably have way better shot at a legit second chance without all those ostentatious "perfect seductress" shenanigans.

Girl's got her wires so badly crossed it's downright impressive.

I think this is the first time that Kishi made almost clear that they masturbate (?) even if it's very NSFW (more before than now) they didn't talk about sexy stuff like that.

That's quite the pose to do that (with pants on).

Chapter 122 The Battle in the Library was not what I was expecting. I have so much more respect for Mask-chan. She won’t be manipulated, and if she doesn’t like Kaoru’s attention, she says so in no uncertain terms. I hope this causes Kaoru to reassess her approach to life.

I think this is the first time that Kishi made almost clear that they masturbate (?) even if it's very NSFW (more before than now) they didn't talk about sexy stuff like that.

I thought the same thing. A big first.

If Nao is even fired from VE, she can find a job in Ayame 14.

That's quite the pose to do that (with pants on).

With pants off, you would see her hand petting the cunny, so no. ;-)

This author obviously doesn’t understand that manga girls should be cute, with faces made of triangles and ovals as bases that are obvious in the finished product. They shouldn’t go more into realism than that, adding depth to the shape of the face and trying to make them ‘beautiful’, which the drawing is, rather than ‘cute’.

Oh, and the eyes are too sparkly. Way too distracting.

What if Kaoru is abusive in her relationship with Shizuka, even if she's not a cartoon narcissist who "loves no one but herself". People abusing those they genuinely care about is unfortunately pretty common... Same thing with the depressive episodes and the self harm as manipulation; these things aren't mutually exclusive.

But what if she was Keyser Söze?! :o

Really, as she's one of the few characters in the series whose actual thoughts we have yet to be privy to she's something of a walking Rorschach test - how we interpret her arguably says more about what we'd prefer to see than anything. (Personally I feel such an outright malign character setting would fit poorly in the general tenor of this manga.)

I think we can all agree that whatever the specifics may be she certainly isn't quite psychologically normal though.

This author obviously doesn’t understand that manga girls should be cute, with faces made of triangles and ovals as bases that are obvious in the finished product. They shouldn’t go more into realism than that, adding depth to the shape of the face and trying to make them ‘beautiful’, which the drawing is, rather than ‘cute’.
Oh, and the eyes are too sparkly. Way too distracting.

I can agree with that, I wasn't trying to diagnose her. My point was that a character can have mental health issues and still have enough agency to do Bad Things. And the reverse, that just because they did Bad Things, it doesn't render all of their troubles and emotions nonexistent. So I don't think Kaoru is a Bad Person; I hope she can find a way to fulfill her needs without hurting other people or herself. I'd be pretty disappointed if we didn't see growth from her.

People certainly hurt each other readily enough without any particular mental issues or ill intent being involved anyway. But when you get down to it the entire Kaoru-Shizuka thread is one big tangle of unresolved and unhealthy emotional baggage for everyone involved - Kaoru's downright obsessive while Shizuka harbors enough lingering sentiments to constantly keep reflecting her new relationship against their old one (which is both rather unfair to Mio and not exactly healthy) and promptly get surly and jealous when the former starts looking like she might actually be getting serious about someone new.
And they've been dragging these millstones around since before they finished middle school.

Given the generally upbeat and optimistic tone of the series I'd be very surprised if the endgame of their shared arc (arriving Author only knows when) isn't learning to finally let go and move forward, one way or another.

last edited at Aug 11, 2019 1:34PM

Some girls in this manga have been in obvious pairings from the beginning. But some other girls have been floating in limbo, with no clear-cut love interests. This, however, has been changing: a lot of recent developments are about them.

Nao never had a romantic interest before. Then came that shower scene. ( ͡ꈍ ͜ʖ̫ ͡ꈍ ) This is the first time she expresses a wish for romance! Well, for a bf, actually, but in a yuri manga that's just silly talk. ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°) Anyway, admitting to herself that she wants a lover, that's a big step forward... but, honestly, I can't figure out which girl should be paired up with her.

Kanae, for a long time, didn't have a special girl. Then she started getting really close to Hibiki, and everyone (even Kanae herself) thought their pairing was a done deal. But then, one day, Kanae saw Hibiki walking down the street arm in arm with her boyfriend – and Kanae's poor kokoro went crack, sniffle sniff. Luckily for her, the author then invented Haruka just to comfort her. This time things should work out right... right? Right???

Hibiki's web of relationships is one of the most complex in the story. She was close to Kaoru and Kanae, but didn't get serious with either of them. She had a bf, but broke up with him. Now she seems to be getting really chummy with Midori. Will she find her one true pairing this time? (Mind you, Hibiki keeps saying she wants a new bf... but what does she know, right?)

Kaoru, at the moment, is still in limbo – seemingly with no way out. Her relationship with Shizuka will never rekindle (as Shizuka has Mio now). Her affair with Hibiki went down the drain. Her affair with Mask-sempai never was a thing in the first place: it existed only in Kaoru's fantasies, as Mask-sempai actually sees her as a lump of dirt. Amusing that the greatest vamp in the manga finds herself without a special girl right now.

In a way, these little mysteries are what makes the piquant of the story for me.

Some girls in this manga have been in obvious pairings from the beginning. But some other girls have been floating in limbo, with no clear-cut love interests. This, however, has been changing: a lot of recent developments are about them.

Nao never had a romantic interest before. Then came that shower scene. ( ͡ꈍ ͜ʖ̫ ͡ꈍ ) This is the first time she expresses a wish for romance! Well, for a bf, actually, but in a yuri manga that's just silly talk. ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°) Anyway, admitting to herself that she wants a lover, that's a big step forward... but, honestly, I can't figure out which girl should be paired up with her.

Kanae, for a long time, didn't have a special girl. Then she started getting really close to Hibiki, and everyone (even Kanae herself) thought their pairing was a done deal. But then, one day, Kanae saw Hibiki walking down the street arm in arm with her boyfriend – and Kanae's poor kokoro went crack, sniffle sniff. Luckily for her, the author then invented Haruka just to comfort her. This time things should work out right... right? Right???

Hibiki's web of relationships is one of the most complex in the story. She was close to Kaoru and Kanae, but didn't get serious with either of them. She had a bf, but broke up with him. Now she seems to be getting really chummy with Midori. Will she find her one true pairing this time? (Mind you, Hibiki keeps saying she wants a new bf... but what does she know, right?)

Kaoru, at the moment, is still in limbo – seemingly with no way out. Her relationship with Shizuka will never rekindle (as Shizuka has Mio now). Her affair with Hibiki went down the drain. Her affair with Mask-sempai never was a thing in the first place: it existed only in Kaoru's fantasies, as Mask-sempai actually sees her as a lump of dirt. Amusing that the greatest vamp in the manga finds herself without a special girl right now.

In a way, these little mysteries are what makes the piquant of the story for me.

Trust me, you'll have a lot of fun!

Trust me, you'll have a lot of fun!

Yay! Can't wait, hehe. :D

So is it just me or did AI and Chie manage to basically say they are staying togther forever in ch124: I Want a Lucky Bag!

I think Kaoru and Masked girl became my favorite ship already and I don't know why.

i agree with you

Hibiki's web of relationships is one of the most complex in the story. She was close to Kaoru and Kanae, but didn't get serious with either of them. She had a bf, but broke up with him. Now she seems to be getting really chummy with Midori. Will she find her one true pairing this time? (Mind you, Hibiki keeps saying she wants a new bf... but what does she know, right?)

Hibiki confirmed actual top playa of the series ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

On an entirely unrelated note, if Yuu is just 148 cm and still something like half a head or more taller than the MahiMahi, then what the heck does that make Midoriri who's visibly shorter than even them? The eighth dwarf who quit before they got famous?

Damn, Mio is such a chad now.

Casey 1988 posted:

So is it just me or did AI and Chie manage to basically say they are staying togther forever in ch124: I Want a Lucky Bag!

Yes! There's so much development in these chapters!

Damn, Mio is such a chad now.

Potential yandere and that's what this manga lacks.

I love the purity of MahiMahi. They always seem so happy and positive.

Hmm those girls must be pretty short if A-chan is only 5'6

MahiMahi casually blowing all of the other pairing away with their infinite staring at each other. XD

The updated chapters in MD are about Kaoru and Mask chan! and my favorite character Nao hahaha

I love the S&M duo so much more now that Mahimahi keeps messing with them.

At some point my favorite ship shifted from Ai x Chie to Miyoshi x Ayano and I don't know when it happened. I guess I bore easily of vanilla.

SENPAI ZURUI YOOOOOOO. Shizuka shocks me acting like a maiden in love like that, but I think it fits her character surprisingly well. Like she wants somebody that doesn't immediately falls for her charms everytime she's goes about flirting. It's sad that is bonchan ever shares her feels, shizuka would get cold feet and dip. I hope senpai makes like Elsa and LETS HER GO. Mio is such a cutie and I'm worried for her

SENPAI ZURUI YOOOOOOO. Shizuka shocks me acting like a maiden in love like that, but I think it fits her character surprisingly well. Like she wants somebody that doesn't immediately falls for her charms everytime she's goes about flirting. It's sad that is bonchan ever shares her feels, shizuka would get cold feet and dip. I hope senpai makes like Elsa and LETS HER GO. Mio is such a cutie and I'm worried for her

...pretty sure you're getting Shizuka and Kaoru mixed up there.