Two points:

On the “It didn’t sound like Risako was lying,” I just take that to mean “She sounded totally plausible even though I know she’s lying,” like Risako didn’t miss a beat when coming out with the lie.

(I must admit, I can lie when necessary, but when cornered like that I’d need a moment to gather my thoughts to make sure of what I was going to say and how I was going to say it.)

On the baby: Kaoru starts the day off in a daze, and two different people (manager and Risako) bring up having children. It’s not a big surprise that Kaoru would fall back on the (previously forgotten) long-term plan: what to do when there’s no Uta? Oh, that’s right—that’s when we were going to have a baby. Let’s have a baby.

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/my_unrequited_love_ch04#19

It’s obviously an astoundingly crappy idea, but given the limited possibilities and resources of the brain involved, an understandable one.

Homeboy just got his hand called. I think he is pretty much out of room to bluff much further.

Okay that's stupid, like really really stupid. And why the heck does Reiichi look like Bruce Banner in the Hulkbuster?

????????

Crap... There she goes letting outers manipulate her. I wonder if Risako mentioned the "Baby" matter because Reichi complained about it!... RAAAAAYOOOOOOOS!

last edited at Sep 29, 2019 12:22PM

Jesus take the wheel

By the way, Risako done fucked up on her lie:

She returned Kaoru’s cellphone to Uta, saying, “Didn’t you hear from Reiichi? I was there when Kaoru injured herself,” which info Uta passed on to Kaoru, as Risako must have assumed she would, since there was no reason not to.

Plot point or authorial carelessness—and in this series, is there a difference?

It’s obviously an astoundingly crappy idea, but given the limited possibilities and resources of the brain involved, an understandable one.
- -
Plot point or authorial carelessness—and in this series, is there a difference?

last edited at Sep 29, 2019 12:31PM

yep, she's a mess... I hope she gets on her feet before she gets in it even deeper.

How is Kaoru questioning her sexuality? AFAIK her thinking about Uta could just be her missing her little sister. How is the fact she is asking to have a baby with her cheating husband a sign she deep down suspects to be a raging lesbo? Lol it would have to be the biggest case of “reaction formation” psychological defense in manga history.

I don’t buy it.

The way she clenches her fist and focuses on her wedding ring every time she thinks about Uta? Chick's repressing, and it's all getting bundled together. She never addressed Uta's feelings, and she totally knows it, and she knows she'll be super unhappy unless she forces herself to. It's really important that she never gave Uta a yes or a no. (That doesn't mean she necessarily WILL end up realizing she's bi, but it's very clear this is something she has to address and hasn't yet.)

Are you expecting, like, "What was that just now?! Why was my heart pounding...?!" from this manga?

Not only does this chapter prove that risako has always played with kaoru since high school by proposing reichii but that she mocks her outright on the phone... I'm really not sure that reii is in the mood to have a child and risako must know that.... kaoru may just wait to have the answer of reii to definitely understand that their couple is not going anywhere.
This chapter also shows that uta was really the main person who understood kaoru and that without her kaoru is completely destabilized...

For now I only read this manga for the ridiculous body proportions. It makes me laugh every time.

I'm pretty sure Kaoru just wears droopy clothes and pulls her skirts up real high.

(I actually love her outfits, actually)

last edited at Sep 29, 2019 12:48PM

I can now imagine two different paths this story can take.
1 Kaoru actually forgets Uta and live in misery with a husband who’s cheating and a baby ...
2. Uta maybe sees her bro cheating and comes to rescue Kaoru, and then kaoru probably wakes up and realize that she likes Uta way more.

My opinion that is that Kaoru is falling out of love and not realizing that she’s missing Uta like crazy. Because Kaoru don’t want to be alone which makes her hold on to Reichi. Even though Uta loves her, Kaoru pushed away the only real love she has gotten since her parents died. So not only does that makes Kaoru unstable but too top it off that she saw the cheating. Which is making her doubt everything and pushing herself to get a baby.. but as i remember Uta met her friend to get her phone no? So Uta is already doubting her brother, but didn’t think much more of it.. it will probably come in play later. I’m looking forward to it.

last edited at Sep 29, 2019 12:50PM

This is a melodrama to the max. What a train wreck. Really only reading it because there’s only a slight trickle of new yuri coming out and the art is nice.

Ready to have a baby...
Please, don't act this way Kaoru.
You don't actually feel "ready" to have a baby, you're just depressed about Uta's leaving.
You want to have a baby with Reichi just so you feel better about yourself and this way, you'll feel less alone at home when he will live for his trips and such.
Plus, this Ritsuko bitch seems to have something going on with your husband, you better wake up and try to rebuild what you had with Uta. But before, you need to figure out what's going on with Ritsuko.
She clearly lied to you when she said she hasn't saw Reichi since your wedding day, so you know something's off.
Plus those two were dating in high school, it's not like they're simple acquitances...
I'd love Kaoru to get this baby idea out of her head and come to realise Uta would probably be a better choice than Reichi. Uta seems WAY more concerned than Reichi towards Kaoru. At least that's how I feel.

last edited at Sep 29, 2019 1:02PM

I can't deal with this angst much longer, It's making me anxious. I don't know how to deal with it.
This manga truly is amazing, we are seeing the impact of traditional marriage idealization.

On the “It didn’t sound like Risako was lying,” I just take that to mean “She sounded totally plausible even though I know she’s lying,” like Risako didn’t miss a beat when coming out with the lie.

That's exactly what it meant, but it was worded a bit awkwardly. She acknowledges that Risako doesn't SOUND like she's lying, but she knows for a fact that she's a VERY good liar, and that she has just caught her in a pretty big lie. That's why I said PERHAPS she's using the baby talk to put her useless lump of fuck of a husband into a corner, since she clearly doesn't have the fortitude right now to straight up ask and face up to her situation.

Also I think she's bi AF too and just hella repressing the gay side. We're repeatedly shown that the only times she seems to be truly happy is when she's with Uta, and this is the first time they've had a huge falling out, so she's having to face a sense of loss that perhaps is just a tad too large for a platonic sort of situation--and she's realizing that.

concerned voice: FUCK

Also, here's hoping this commment won't be misinterpreted as me supporting them getting a baby

last edited at Sep 29, 2019 1:42PM

concerned voice: FUCK

Kaoru: I have this all under control.
Narrator: She did not have it all under control.

concerned voice: FUCK

Kaoru: I have this all under control.
Narrator: She did not have it all under control.

"They had lots of falling apart later."

concerned voice: FUCK

Kaoru: I have this all under control.
Narrator: She did not have it all under control.

To be fair, she does say that she shouldn’t be saying it. Right before she says it.

You not only don’t get “adult having your shit together” points for being aware that you shouldn’t say something right before you say it, you actually lose points.

And Kaoru doesn’t have many of those to spare.

To be fair, she does say that she shouldn’t be saying it. Right before she says it.

My question is, did she say she knew she shouldn't be saying it because she knew she didn't want a child but felt like it was what she needed to do, or was it because she knew that saying it right then would likely start the countdown to The Big Bad Reveal that she really wants to keep avoiding (but can't)?

last edited at Sep 29, 2019 1:54PM

Is he even going to have sex with her? They're married, but I get the feeling they haven't screwed for a looong time. I wouldn't be surprised if Risako told him "oh and don't fuck your wife either" since she's already making sure he's not there for her birthday.

Either we have a time skip or more likely a very melodramatic not quite sex scene. Maybe he'll say her name during sex or something.

This is a total soap opera.

To be fair, she does say that she shouldn’t be saying it. Right before she says it.

My question is, did she say she knew she shouldn't be saying it because she knew she didn't want a child but felt like it was what she needed to do, or was it because she knew that saying it right then would likely start the countdown to The Big Bad Reveal that she really wants to keep avoiding (but can't)?

Pretty clearly it’s what she says immediately before that: “My feelings are completely unstable.”

She needs that educational pamphlet: “Deciding to Have a Baby—Mature Consideration of What’s in the Long-Term Interests of Everyone Involved, Including (Especially) the Baby, or Desperate Last-Ditch Emotional Gambit to Discover If You Even Have a Real Marriage?”

(Formerly available free from Planned Parenthood until the latest governmental budget cuts.)

To be fair, she does say that she shouldn’t be saying it. Right before she says it.

My question is, did she say she knew she shouldn't be saying it because she knew she didn't want a child but felt like it was what she needed to do, or was it because she knew that saying it right then would likely start the countdown to The Big Bad Reveal that she really wants to keep avoiding (but can't)?

Pretty clearly it’s what she says immediately before that: “My feelings are completely unstable.”

She needs that educational pamphlet: “Deciding to Have a Baby—Mature Consideration of What’s in the Long-Term Interests of Everyone Involved, Including (Especially) the Baby, or Desperate Last-Ditch Emotional Gambit to Discover If You Even Have a Real Marriage?”

(Formerly available free from Planned Parenthood until the latest governmental budget cuts.)

Well, no, yes, I know she said she was unstable. lol But I reckon I just find myself considering if that instability pushed her to either A or B in my question, or if it's kind of an 'All of the Above" sort of answer.