So Risako has the gay for Kaoru for realsies? The visitation scene reads a bit like a confession/coming out. Unfortunately the confessor in question is an all brains low feelings type while the one sort of being confused to is the exact opposite, all the feels but no brain power to really process anything. Risako probably thought she's being very practical in trying to get Kaoru to give up dunce bro, but she forgets to/unable to account for how Kaoru might react. Kaoru has always been hard/impossible to read to Risako. I don't know, this is just a theory and I need more data. If she is gay for Kaoru, at what point did this happen? Seeing Kaoru fell the confession thing for the xxth time? Is taking dunce bro just a way to make Kaoru vulnerable in order for her to swoop in and take her? The fuck is all that Jedi mind trick in the present time?

Risako probably comes with Jaws theme music whenever she's nearby Kaoru

Is taking dunce bro just a way to make Kaoru vulnerable in order for her to swoop in and take her?

I tend to say yes but i don't think it will really work since Kaoru has spotted them together.

Also her conversation with Uta makes me feel like she's not meant to be trustworthy. I can't tell if she's meant to be a sympathetic character or an antagonistic character.

This chapter does give us insight to Risako, though, especially that sick scene. Her strategy to help Kaoru sucks because she has no idea what is going on because she's like 16. "Hmm, I feel bad when she pays attention to Reiichi, but I feel great around her the rest of the time. I know, if I pull his attention away, there won't be a problem anymore!" She's flailing, but she looks so together, you'd never guess it from the outside.

I get the same feeling, that even Risako doesn't quite know what she is feeling and just knew that she didn't want Kaoru near Reiichi

as for what happened, I'm starting to suspect that Risako wasn't the one cheating with Reiichi or maybe she was keeping him around to learn more about her, or fuck, maybe she was forcing herself on him to stupidly try to get rid of her gay.
that scene when Kaoru wants to confront her about what happened and Risako basicly dares her to make the question but Kaoru doesn't since if she heard the answer she was expecting her marriage would be over makes sense, being vague is good for Risako's goals she probably thinks

maybe the actual gay characters can realize they fell in love for the same dense girl and try to work something out between them, Uta x Risako now lol.

last edited at Jan 18, 2020 4:40PM

maybe the actual gay characters can realize they fell in love for the same dense girl and try to work something out between them, Uta x Risako now lol.

What's frustrating for me is that I was actually happy for the plot of Risako being gay, and it would be the first thing I would feel nice in this story, even when Risako's liking would surely be unrequired as well. (not saying the story is bad, just saying the story is interesting to read but gives a bad feeling when you do).

But now the author is taking that away too, by making Risako's character look really cold and manipulative. Waiting how this will pan out though.

This author must be pretty cynical irl.

I can't tell if she's meant to be a sympathetic character or an antagonistic character.

Yes

maybe the actual gay characters can realize they fell in love for the same dense girl and try to work something out between them, Uta x Risako now lol.

What's frustrating for me is that I was actually happy for the plot of Risako being gay, and it would be the first thing I would feel nice in this story, even when Risako's liking would surely be unrequired as well. (not saying the story is bad, just saying the story is interesting to read but gives a bad feeling when you do).

But now the author is taking that away too, by making Risako's character look really cold and manipulative. Waiting how this will pan out though.

This author must be pretty cynical irl.

I think the idea is that Risako has this tragic flaw where she comes across as so cold and together, everything she does seems like a deliberate master plan even when it's reactive, emotional, or flailing. Her behavior in this chapter is not particularly evil-genius... she seems to legit believe she and Kaoru will be best gal pals with Reiichi off the table, and then later she childishly tries to make Kaoru jealous. There's a kabillion panels, both in the present and in the flashback, where she just seems totally nonplussed by something Kaoru does.

That exchange on page 19 is really... odd, though.

K: It just means you're really falling in love with him.
R: Is this what love is?
K: I think so?
R: Then I just can't understand. I've searched so many times for a reason, and now I feel gross unable to find one.

Maybe it's the translation, but what is she talking about in that last time? A reason... she's in love with Reiichi? Why would she 'search so many times' for a reason that she loves him, when she was just now led to the conclusion she loves him?

One thing the author has done really well though is create this irony where there's so, so many reasons where Reiichi and Kaoru should not get together, and we have to see it slowly playing out because of tragedy and guilt.

I still can't fully trust or like Risako and I'm glad Kaoru isn't with her. Anyone that would do such an underhanded thing like what she's doing is messed up. She's lied and betrayed Kaoru too many times. She's selfish and a coward. If anything I believe she represents everything Uta isn't. She's selfish and mean while Uta is selfless and is always aware of how Kaoru is feeling. She's a coward that rather use manipulation to get closer to Kaoru while Uta was honest and straight up told her.

I don't even know if risako's even looking for a totally loving relationship with kaoru. It's more like something more unhealthy, like I want to be kaoru's best friend and nobody else between her and me.
Reicchi being the obstacle she uses as a puppet and as a psychological pressure tactic against kaoru.
When she told Kaoru to ask Reicchi to make a baby it was a perfectly calculated request. She wants to make it clear once again that reicchi is not the right person for her, that she imagines.
Her final goal? She seems to be fascinated by kaoru, something she herself must have difficulty describing, love or possession, maybe both.

That exchange on page 19 is really... odd, though.

K: It just means you're really falling in love with him.
R: Is this what love is?
K: I think so?
R: Then I just can't understand. I've searched so many times for a reason, and now I feel gross unable to find one.

Maybe it's the translation, but what is she talking about in that last time? A reason... she's in love with Reiichi? Why would she 'search so many times' for a reason that she loves him, when she was just now led to the conclusion she loves him?

I think Kaoru made an incorrect assumption here. She assumes Risako is jealous due to Kaoru spending close time with her boyfriend in the past, when the reason she's actually jealous is that someone other than her was close to Kaoru.

So, "Is this what love is?" is Risako questioning her own feelings toward Kaoru.

"Then I just can't understand. I've searched so many times for a reason, and now I feel gross unable to find one."

Shows that until now, Risako didn't identify her feelings toward Kaoru as romantic love. It also shows that said emotions confused her and she constantly questioned what she was feeling toward Kaoru. And she doesn't seem too happy with the revelation and wishes she could keep making up excuses for her feelings. Or at least that's how the phrasing makes it seem to come across.

Or at least that's how the phrasing makes it seem to come across.

I think that was how it mean to be understand, at least for the readers. Risako phrasing was vague enough to make Kaoru think it was about Reiichi.

I still can't fully trust or like Risako and I'm glad Kaoru isn't with her. Anyone that would do such an underhanded thing like what she's doing is messed up. She's lied and betrayed Kaoru too many times. She's selfish and a coward. If anything I believe she represents everything Uta isn't. She's selfish and mean while Uta is selfless and is always aware of how Kaoru is feeling. She's a coward that rather use manipulation to get closer to Kaoru while Uta was honest and straight up told her.

Maybe she is selfish but at the time they were in high school I believe she is way more confused and uncertain of her feelings than purposedly mean or manipulating, her tries to get Reiichi away from Kaoru and the subsequent attempts to get her jealous scream confused and desperate teenager more than manipulative genius to me, not to say that her actions arent hurtful because Maoru is very mcuh hurt.

I think Kaoru made an incorrect assumption here. She assumes Risako is jealous due to Kaoru spending close time with her boyfriend in the past, when the reason she's actually jealous is that someone other than her was close to Kaoru.

So, "Is this what love is?" is Risako questioning her own feelings toward Kaoru.

"Then I just can't understand. I've searched so many times for a reason, and now I feel gross unable to find one."

Shows that until now, Risako didn't identify her feelings toward Kaoru as romantic love. It also shows that said emotions confused her and she constantly questioned what she was feeling toward Kaoru. And she doesn't seem too happy with the revelation and wishes she could keep making up excuses for her feelings. Or at least that's how the phrasing makes it seem to come across.

That is the same impression I got from that exchange.

last edited at Jan 18, 2020 7:15PM

^ the only reason that I still can't fully trust her is the fact that Kaoru in the present doesn't fully trust her. Kaoru talks about how she's a great liar and how she can't always trust her in present time. That makes me feel like there's more to the story than what we know so far. As far as Kaoru is concerned in the flashback Risako is just mean instead of a good liar with a great pokerface. I wonder what happens that makes her see Risako that way.

I think the idea is that Risako has this tragic flaw where she comes across as so cold and together, everything she does seems like a deliberate master plan even when it's reactive, emotional, or flailing. Her behavior in this chapter is not particularly evil-genius... she seems to legit believe she and Kaoru will be best gal pals with Reiichi off the table, and then later she childishly tries to make Kaoru jealous. There's a kabillion panels, both in the present and in the flashback, where she just seems totally nonplussed by something Kaoru does.

I largely agree, but I think even you are giving her too much credit.

In this the scene on pg 21, when Kaoru tells her she wants to stay away because she reminds her of Reiichi, we get this really great panel of Risako that's a mix between completely dumbfounded and teetering on the edge of despair, where she realized just how badly she f-ed up. I'm not sure what her plan was when she accepted Reiichi's confession, or if she even had one, but she definitely didn't consider the possibility that it could do serious damage to her relationship with Kaoru.

After that conversation, though, she immediately walks out and her behavior does a complete 180, keeping her distance from Kaoru and flaunting her relationship with Reiichi, where before she stayed suspiciously close and seemed to completely ignore the relationship. To me, that doesn't read as trying to get Kaoru jealous, it reads as having given up and lashing out. She might have thought out the individual actions at that point, but not any overall plan or goal. It's just that the relationship was causing her pain, so she wanted someone else to also be in pain. She decided to give up on Kaoru so she wanted to make absolutely sure that bridge was thoroughly burned, so she couldn't look back and second guess her choices.

^ the only reason that I still can't fully trust her is the fact that Kaoru in the present doesn't fully trust her. Kaoru talks about how she's a great liar and how she can't always trust her in present time. That makes me feel like there's more to the story than what we know so far. As far as Kaoru is concerned in the flashback Risako is just mean instead of a good liar with a great pokerface. I wonder what happens that makes her see Risako that way.

I thought her justification for that was Risako making it look like she had no interest in Reiichi and even making it seem like she was in Kaoru's corner until she got together with him and her behavior did it's polar inversion. Without knowing about her true feelings, Kaoru probably assumed that Risako only became her friend in the first place to get close to Reiichi and, once she found out about Kaoru's feelings, eliminate the impression. Being able to keep that act up for years would take both an exceptional liar and a truly manipulative soul.

The fact that she does seem to have a legitimately good poker face, or at least she doesn't show much emotion in general, probably didn't help things.

I'm not saying she's a good person or her behavior was justified. I just don't think she's the manipulative mastermind everyone assumes or even that she's as well put together and in control of her life as she likes to pretend. She very much acts without thinking things through or having a long term plan.

As for her lying about meeting with Reiichi, I don't think we have enough information to know what's going on. It seems pretty unlikely they were actually having an affair, which raises questions about why she lied. Personally, I suspect pg. 21 might be the answer. The last time she pretended to be in a relationship with Reiichi it blew up in her face, so this time she wanted to pretend she had no contact with him whatsoever, so Kaoru wouldn't be mad at her. The idea that Kaoru might find out she was lying probably didn't even enter her head, assuming the whole thing wasn't entirely spur of the moment and it got any thought at all. After that, it was just more flailing when she got caught out.

Speaking of Kaoru and Reiichi's marriage, do we have any indication he's been cheating beyond the inconsistencies with Risako? I'm starting to wonder how many of their marital problems are his fault or based on reality, versus products of Kaoru's own terrible self image and everyone's inability to communicate more competently than a turnup.

last edited at Jan 18, 2020 9:43PM

I don't even know if risako's even looking for a totally loving relationship with kaoru. It's more like something more unhealthy, like I want to be kaoru's best friend and nobody else between her and me.
Reicchi being the obstacle she uses as a puppet and as a psychological pressure tactic against kaoru.
When she told Kaoru to ask Reicchi to make a baby it was a perfectly calculated request. She wants to make it clear once again that reicchi is not the right person for her, that she imagines.
Her final goal? She seems to be fascinated by kaoru, something she herself must have difficulty describing, love or possession, maybe both.

YES. THIS. THANK YOU.

I'm starting to wonder how many of their marital problems are his fault or based on reality, versus products of Kaoru's own terrible self image and everyone's inability to communicate more competently than a turnup.

Beside the cheating (which at this point is not confirmed),it's still true that Reiichi never been the shoulder Kaoru wanted him to be, role that ended been taken by Uta. Is it entierly his fault ? Maybe not completly but at least a part is his, the other might be the problems of communication between him and Kaoru. More than the cheating and Risako's lie is Reiichi's lie : Why did he said to Kaoru that he was still on business trip if it was already in town ? Assuming he was in business trip to begin with and not just in a hotel outside the town.
Maybe he encounter Risako during the business trip (iirc Risako work in a company too) and Reiichi has told Risako about his couple's problem and Risako seen this as an opportunity to try to put the hook on Kaoru once and for all. That would explain why Kaoru just started now to get back on the offensive as she know Kaoru and Reiichi marriage is in peril.

There seems to have been some uncertainty in the translation of p21
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/my_unrequited_love_ch29#22
In the version up on Dynasty the second sentence at the top is: "So, I want to stay away from you for a while"
But in the version ChaosTeam initially posted on Facebook it is: "So, I don't want to stay away from you for a while" (and one of the team defended that meaning when a comment asked if it was a typo).

The original text for the two speech bubbles was:
璃沙子といると怜一くんのこと思い出しちゃうから (about Risako making her remember Reiichi)
しばらく一緒にいたくない (the one that has changed, presumably hinging on the meaning of いたくない)

I don't feel my Japanese is anywhere near fluent enough to usefully comment on the correct meaning.

Aight I'm a wait for a few chapters to upload bc im getting sad af with the latest chapters.

There seems to have been some uncertainty in the translation of p21
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/my_unrequited_love_ch29#22
In the version up on Dynasty the second sentence at the top is: "So, I want to stay away from you for a while"
But in the version ChaosTeam initially posted on Facebook it is: "So, I don't want to stay away from you for a while" (and one of the team defended that meaning when a comment asked if it was a typo).

The original text for the two speech bubbles was:
璃沙子といると怜一くんのこと思い出しちゃうから (about Risako making her remember Reiichi)
しばらく一緒にいたくない (the one that has changed, presumably hinging on the meaning of いたくない)

I don't feel my Japanese is anywhere near fluent enough to usefully comment on the correct meaning.

Shit, I was hoping the changed version (which is also up elsewhere) meant that the other one was just the obvious typo it seemed to be. Because the explanation given for the first one makes Kaoru into an even more royally messed-up human being than she already is/was.

Not wanting to see Risako because she was a constant reminder of Reiichi makes normal sense.

Wanting to see Risako in order to be reminded of Reiichi, not so much.

Japanese speakers?

Recently saw a review for the official English translation, and it turns out "Kuroe" is Chloe (French ancestry, in retrospect obvious). Checked Japanese version and her name is indeed written in katakana (ie implying it isn't Japanese). Nice to know I'm not the only one who has trouble recognizing words in katakana sometimes! All this time I'd been assuming her name was 黒江 or something like that (given her "black" outlook).

"So, I want to stay away from you for a while" is correct. Not sure how anyone could interpret it as "So, I don't want to stay away from you for a while". It's not first time ChaosTeam translation wasn't that good, so I probably shouldn't be surprised.

Literal translation: "For a while, I don't want to be together" (in a sense of being in the same place)

last edited at Jan 18, 2020 11:19PM

"So, I want to stay away from you for a while" is correct. Not sure how anyone could interpret it as "So, I don't want to stay away from you for a while". It's not first time ChaosTeam translation wasn't that good, so I probably shouldn't be surprised.

Literal translation: "For a while, I don't want to be together" (in a sense of being in the same place)

Even if their version had the correct meaning, it wouldn't be the correct translation unless something was seriously impairing Kaoru's speech,because that is some very messed up grammar.

Thought dump after a pretty interesting chapter cause ¯\(ツ)_/¯ ..._

Risako is the most interesting character to me, but I though this chapter even brought some life to Kaoru.

Reichi is just an object in the story at this point. He's the dude who happens to be related to all these women, and he doesn't appear to have the will to detangle himself, not through direct action.

I do wonder what Uta is up to now... (She's the only one for whom we've seen significant mental growth.)

Back to Risako: She seems to be relatively out of touch with her emotions, and I think that's gotten her into trouble (socially). She does not feel guilt or consequences in the same way as the typical person -- but that doesn't make her bad or evil or a psychopath. There is a broad spectrum of neurodiversity that can lead to those links being weak. This chapter demonstrated the difference in the malintent Kaoru's been projecting onto Risako versus Risako's actual intentions.

(It's probably beyond the scope of this story, but I wish Risako would find someone who cared enough to understand her.)

I find Kaoru the most cowardly character. She takes relatively little responsibility for her own emotions. Her passive-aggressive actions go way beyond what I'd find acceptable in a relationship, friendly or otherwise. From her POV, Risako's behavior looks pretty spiteful, but I don't think Risako knew how much accepting Reichii's confession bothered her until she (finally) said something. Risako reacted first with surprise and confusion; but (according to Kaoru's memory) she later did the "normal" spiteful thing, talking to Reichi on the phone more at school, etc. On one hand, yeah, not a fan of that; on other hand, that's not a unique teenage drama scenario.

Is Risako manipulative? Sure, but more so than any other human...? I don't know. All humans try to influence. Some are better at it than others; and some have a weak moral compass that lets them breach societally acceptable boundaries. Kaoru's emotionally manipulated all the other main-ish characters. I can believe she was more ignorant of it to start, but is having head-in-the-sand more excusable? The one time Risako burned her isn't enough of an explanation. A low trust person will trust other people less. I'm highly skeptical of how Kaoru views others.

The author has presented sympathetic and unsympathetic qualities for each of the characters. Risako has a number of qualities that are stereotypically found in antagonists and she's in an antagonistic relationship with the MC -- but only from the MC's view (others are neutral and Risako's on perspective on the relationship ranges from hurt to cool but is intentionally?? ambiguous). Reichii was presented as an okay guy at the start. Uta's been setup as a "good" but flawed throughout the story.

I'm probably most sympathetic to Risako if only because Uta's plot is a bit run of the mill, but I'm in the minority either way. :D

Nobody here is evil, but they've put little effort into understanding one another. (I don't have much sympathy for that.) I guess they're all motivated strongly by their "unrequited love".

It's a collage of tragedies.

P.S. I think the author's been on a roll with these flashback chapters. I'm really curious to see how Kaoru's responds.

P.P.S. Is Uta a major character? (I don't necessarily mind, but it feels like the level of gay dropped when the story pivoted away from her...)

And the genius plan of snatching the love interest didn't pan out for Risako. What a surprise.
I guess Reichii bonds with Kaoru over her mothers death while Risako bites her thumb in the background. That'll be the end of the flashback.

....... I'm fine with that as long as the flashback ends

So that credits page was pretty wholesome