Either that or now they can have the bitter falling out.

I’m not sure why everybody is so anxious for them to spill the beans about their relationship—we’ve gotten all this world-class cute with them keeping it a secret so far.

What exactly would be so much better about the series if they were to come out (aside from for the “progress” fetishists, I mean)?

Also in that kind of series, unless it was specifically shown, when character reveals their secret in a corridor/whatever, there is never anyone present to overhear it, so I highly doubt anybody heard it.

What was the point of this character showing up?

so that we could bask in her magnificent hotnessshaking up the status quo a bit and obliging the main couple to do some self-reflection is my bet ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I really really doubt this will be the last time we see the "ex". She is probably here as a catalyst for them to be out.
Who knows what she will do with that information now.

It’s weird. I’m 46 chapters into this story and I feel like I don’t even know it yet. Every time I read a new chapter, I have to remind myself who the characters are and what the story is. Nothing about it is really memorable to me. And yet I keep reading it.

It’s weird. I’m 46 chapters into this story and I feel like I don’t even know it yet. Every time I read a new chapter, I have to remind myself who the characters are and what the story is. Nothing about it is really memorable to me. And yet I keep reading it.

Well tbh apart from the flashback chapters the first 32 chapters were more or less just cute fluffy yuri with no real plot. It seems that only in the past 15 chapters or so the story has actually began to develop.

While I enjoy these discussions here and the attempts to justify/explain Igarashi's appearance (I personally take the stance of "nah, it's not quite over yet") I've gotta say...

NANOHA IS AWESOME!
She figured it out all on her own, and swooped in right at the perfect time (since she finished Chidori's sentence prolly heard her lover about to out herself/them, so plus points for their relationship) and claimed the stage ...and the girl.

There may be some talking necessary to fill in the gaps, but Nanoha did a great job there, recalling details, piecing things together and reading the mood.

IMO her "...no." after Igarashi's 'apology is a hint that while the bi--... senpai just managed to take the wind out her sails (by dropping the L-word) Nanoha has a strong feeling that she's lying.
The latter being emphazised to us by Igarashi remembering being touchy-touchy with a blushing Chidori as she keeps lyi-- continuing her narrative. Well, one line may have been truth: "I thought Chidori might be alone in the literature club..." I think most of us would agree that Igarashi (be it for romance or just meanie reasons) expected to find a lonely and forsaken Chidori...

So, yeah. As Blastaar pointed out, the Igarashi-plot is webbed through-out the whole story and I would be very surprised if it was resolved that casually. Am not expecting her back right away, but someday...

Also... I want a chapter from the friends-trio's POV. Preferably displaying them having it more or less figured out already and just not particularily caring (or maybe having a bet running about when and how they'll come out, who will slip up first, etc. - I imagine a whole betting-pool there). And constantly rolling their eyes while waiting for the couple to spill the beans already...

last edited at Aug 29, 2019 4:54PM

Nanoha: Oblivious lover trope that will lead to a misunderstanding arc? Not today!

Reminiscent of this, but just maybe better?

I gave her a figurative standing ovation.

Reminiscent of this, but just maybe better?

I gave her a figurative standing ovation.

Well, for me that’s one of the all-time great series, including maybe the best and most explicit non-gratuitous (not that there’s anything wrong with gratuitous, in its place) sexual-exploration scene. So its a pretty high bar.

But Nanoha was indeed awesome—I loved her follow-up expression as much or even more than the wonderful reveal scene.

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/hana_ni_arashi_ch46#13

That’s a girl who’s taking zero sempai shit, full stop.

Nanoha my girl, my legend gooooood job!

C'mon, clearly the real reason for showing up and pushing them to be out about the nature of their relationship is because senpai got tired of the "they're dating, and it's a secret" exposition every chapter.

I’m not sure why everybody is so anxious for them to spill the beans about their relationship—we’ve gotten all this world-class cute with them keeping it a secret so far.

What exactly would be so much better about the series if they were to come out (aside from for the “progress” fetishists, I mean)?

I can only speak for myself, but I like stories where gay relationships are out and proud. It's part of the life for anyboddy that's been there (not coming out necessarily, that's each couple's decision to make, but the struggle of deciding whether to come out) and if it's shown as a positive thing and their friends are accepting, it sets a good, positive example on how people should respond if one of their friends comes out.

Also, in a series like this, where the secrecy of their dating is emphasized so continuously, it's hard not to see it as a plot element to be overcome by the end. Like, every time they say "we're secretly dating", it feels to me like the author is setting up a payoff where after they come out, they're surrounded by their supportive friends, walking hand in hand and chatting happily with everybody, and we get the payoff of "we're....openly dating", or something to that effect.

@random^. That's a pretty plausible reading, and I wouldn't be shocked if we were to eventually get evidence (i.e., Igarashi's POV) to support some or all of it.

The reason it's not my own first-order reading, though, is that Igarashi's shocked reaction to Nanoha's claim-staking announcement really seems to be genuine--"Y-you're dating, as in a relationship? But you're both girls? . . . You're really, / Truly dating?"

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/hana_ni_arashi_ch46#15

Either she's a consummate actress, or that expression says that it's the first time she's actually considered a real same-sex relationship, which would definitely rule out any romantic intent behind her return to school.

(And of course, as I seem to be saying ad nauseam, it makes those "more than friends" chocolates highly problematic.)

EDIT: Just to clarify the overall point, my read is that we're still getting contradictory signals and until we get something more definitive, it remains up in the air as to what Igarashi thinks she is/was up to in regard to Chidori.

I've been going back and re-reading the flashback chapters every time we got a new one, and honestly, my reading of it was this:

Igarashi fell -hard- for Chidori when they first met. Love at first sight type stuff. She is immediately affectionate, but also pretty sad. She never really strikes me as a player. Her expressions just seem to go back and forth between adoration and sorrow. She doesn't strike me as someone who was playing with Chidori's feelings at any point, She strikes me as somebody who is convinced her feelings can't possibly bear fruit.

I don't know why she's like that. I could speculate on possible reasons, (like a previous heartbreak or homophobic parents,) but for whatever reason she went out with her childhood friend, because that's what you're "supposed" to do. Still, the heart wants what it wants, and after she broke Chidori's heart, she was slammed with regret. She decided to try and win her back, to make it up to her, so she gave her the chocolate. I think that, too, was probably sincere. A real attempt to win Chidori over and start an actual relationship. We have zero information about whether she was still dating the boyfriend at that point, so whether she was bravely making a serious move or just trying to have it both ways is impossible to say at this point. But Chidori refused the chocolate and rejected the advance, because she had already moved on, and felt she needed to end it cleanly.

Igarashi graduated, and left. But she didn't get over Chidori, so she comes back to try and win her back again. I took "I made a mistake" as a sincere regret over hurting Chidori and giving up on their relationship. Once Nanoha shows up, she seems to suspect what's up, but it isn't until Nanoha actually says it out loud that she's really certain that Chidori has moved on. She seems like she's stepping out gracefully at the end there.

I mean, i just don't feel any sense of maliciousness or callousness. She just seems depressed and resigned. I agree with everyone that says she made her own bed, she clearly deeply hurt Chidori and Chidori was definitely right to shut her down on valentines. She shouldn't have kept her boyfriend a secret while pursuing Chidori. (We don't know if she meant to or not, but she definitely should have brought it up.) I just pity her. I think it'd be interesting to see her POV. I think it'd be pretty neat if Nanoha's boldness inspired her to find a girlfriend at college. She actually seems to brighten up a little after the declaration.

I dunno, I could be wrong, that's just how it felt to me during the read.

last edited at Aug 31, 2019 10:06PM

^ I agree with a lot of your interpretations Heavensrun, and if it wasn't for how harshly she rejected Chidori when she confronted Igarashi about the boyfriend she could even be a quite sympathetic character. However that was the point where I think she lost any chance for a future with Chidori.

I dunno, I could be wrong, that's just how it felt to me during the read.

I completely agree with you. I think she acts the way she does because she's afraid of being taken seriously. It's easier to act like that, since then if you're rejected you can always pass it off as if you were joking. If you look back at how she acted towards Chidori in the flashbacks, she's being pretty direct. The first thing she says to Chidori is to say she's beautiful. I guess you could say she was teasing her or playing with her feelings all along, but come on, look at this face. That's not the face of a cad. I think Chidori essentially surprised her into being honest and maybe saying more than she had planned on saying. For whatever reason—fear that it wouldn't work out, fear of being shunned or mocked, internalized homophobia, etc—she then felt she needed to end it and put some distance between them, which she did in probably the most fucked up way imaginable. It was too awful to be by accident, and I think you can only be that cruel to someone you care about.

Chidori is well rid of her. I don't think she'll ever find out that Igarashi was serious, and I don't think she should worry too much about her. When someone hurts you like that, you don't really need to care about why. Sometimes it's best to just cut a person out of your life.

Also, Nanoha really redeemed herself here. She cut Chidori off when she was trying to explain, because she was afraid of what the truth might be. I was worried that she wouldn't show up and then the whole series would be taken over by this mess, but no, the chapter after the problem appears it is resolved. Always nice when the author doesn't milk a cliche for all it's worth.

Also, Nanoha really redeemed herself here. She cut Chidori off when she was trying to explain, because she was afraid of what the truth might be. I was worried that she wouldn't show up and then the whole series would be taken over by this mess, but no, the chapter after the problem appears it is resolved. Always nice when the author doesn't milk a cliche for all it's worth.

I wouldn't say Nanoha cut Chidori off in the earlier chapter. She did lie that she wasn't bothered by it, but Chidori didn't really push to explain either. Both are understandable to be fair, I think at this point they've only been dating a couple months so it's not exactly an established relationship.

However Chidori really needs to nip this in the bud now and talk to Nanoha about everything that happened with Igarashi, ball is firmly in her court.

You guys are so nice. But I read these arguments, and hear the equivalent of saying, “Igarashi is a good person who made the mistake of torturing a puppy with a blowtorch and a chainsaw, and now she’s sorry.”

With me it’s visceral: “Needlessly cruel to Chidori” = one strike and you’re out.

"Never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence."

"Never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence."

“It doesn’t matter what you meant, it only matters what you did.”

"Never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence."

“It doesn’t matter what you meant, it only matters what you did.”

...which wasn't exactly, ah, torturing a puppy with blowtorch and chainsaw as it were.

That notion is also bollocks right in the face of it; case in point, the moral and legal distinction between say accidental manslaughter and premediated murder...

last edited at Aug 30, 2019 6:58AM

You guys are so nice. But I read these arguments, and hear the equivalent of saying, “Igarashi is a good person who made the mistake of torturing a puppy with a blowtorch and a chainsaw, and now she’s sorry.”

With me it’s visceral: “Needlessly cruel to Chidori” = one strike and you’re out.

I don't think anyone is calling Igarashi a good person. At most understanding towards her behaviour, but understanding =/= acceptance.

As I think I posted earlier, I feel like she lost any chance she might have had with Chidori when she told her their feelings meant nothing because they were both girls. No coming back from that.

No one really deserves a second chance after that tbh.

last edited at Aug 30, 2019 6:51AM

"Never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence."

“It doesn’t matter what you meant, it only matters what you did.”

...which wasn't exactly, ah, torturing a puppy with blowtorch and chainsaw as it were.

Stipulating that we both understand what “hyperbole” is, Igarashi has shown a consistent lack of honesty, sincerity, and regard for the feelings of the person she supposedly cares about.

It’s certainly possible, as we have seen, to explain that as something other than pure selfishness, callousness or malice. At which point I would repeat:

“It doesn’t matter what you meant, it only matters what you did.”

It’s certainly possible, as we have seen, to explain that as something other than pure selfishness, callousness or malice-

And insisting on explaining it solely as those strikes me as downright boorish knee-jerk demonization. I'm trying to give the author more credit than spending this much effort writing a mere cardboard villain you know...