Shi-Shimamura! How could you...T-T I know that's just who you are but...that last part just about killed me. Is it just me though, or did her response seem brutal, even for her? I assume we're going to get her POV in the next chapter, but I suspect there was something else on her end leading up to this as well...Whatever happens next, the ball is now firmly in Shimamura's court. Adachi pretty much poured out her whole soul and next three lives in this last-ditch attempt at getting across to Shimamura and so has absolutely nothing left in her, so it's up to Shimamura now. How Shimamura chooses to proceed will have massive implications for both their relationship and herself. Because if she sticks with how she's always been up until this point, you can bet she'll take the "Okay...Not really sure what just happened, but whatever, that's her problem" approach and just allow the distance to grow between them because...why bother, right? But hey, considering that this series doesn't end at Volume 5 or 6, my bet's on Shimamura changing herself to keep/mend her relationship with Adachi. How she does so though will be an exciting thing to see.

Also, random aside, can we please give some love to Tarumi? Girl's just trying her darndest out there in the best way she knows how ><

Jokes aside, even though I think Adachi and Shimamura are precious together, I really do appreciate the interactions between Shimamura and Tarumi. The way that Shimamura just somehow gets rattled in her interactions with Tarumi, occasionally even breaking out of her perpetually detached self to make a seemingly uncharacteristic remark to me speaks volumes about Tarumi's ability to provoke a stronger reaction out of her. Sure, this may be due more to their shared history together than anything about Tarumi as an individual per se, but it's still a noteworthy feat that pretty much no one else has thus far been able to accomplish. In this respect, Tarumi to Shimamura kind of feels like what Shimamura is to Adachi--a catalyst for change.

This, coupled with Shimamura's often self-described "pleasant" feelings in her interactions with Tarumi, which have also led the former to choose to (!) leave her comfort zone on occasion, has led me to wonder whether they don't actually end up together--although honestly, I don't feel like that will be the case, at least not in the long run. Sigh...why do I always end up rooting for the best/childhood friend...(RIP Touko x Sayaka)

last edited at Jan 27, 2020 2:35AM

You know what, I hope the anime get to the phonecall scene because damn Adachi control your inner yandere

That was, amazingly torturous. I have never seen a rant that goes on for seven straight pages with no interruptions before. And I've also never seen the emotional turmoil of jealousy and insecurity portrayed with such vivid, heartrending colors. I felt the moment Shimamura's words cut through her fervor, turned her to ice, and I could feel that moment in my heart.

Good stuff.

Now to see what Shimamura does. I'm glad the novel continued staying true to both characters and their damning imperfections. Adachi has no sense of self-regulation and Shimamura just can't be bothered with anything bothersome. They're such huge jerks to each other right now. Not intentionally, but what a beautiful clash of human fallibility.

Sweet Jesus on a pogo stick!

Let's just say that if anyone made a call like that to me, I'd would file for a restraint order and tell them to stay the fuck away from me for good.

last edited at Jan 27, 2020 4:02AM

wat torture is diz

the best kind: a super suspenseful emotionally charged evil cliffhanger o' doom

the cliffhanger sent my soul to the void that i suddenly found myself in a salon and had my hair cut.

You know, I almost can't blame Shimamura for her reaction. That rant would've been hard to unpack even if she were an actual professional and not an ordinary, rather lazy teenager who definitely mentally BSOD'd about two sentences in.

I couldn't help being reminded of Hatoko's legendary outburst from Inou Battle.

Aw yes. This is the shit. This is how most teenagers are. They're impulsive, irrational (source: used to be a teenager). They ain't no adult-wanna-be as portrayed in other mangas. Man, this is some really good stuff.

They ain't no adult-wanna-be as portrayed in other mangas.

Funny as i see more of the "typical" teenagers act more than adult wannabe. I mean, even Adachi thought it will stupid to be mad before getting mad.

I know it's not the point at all here but thinking about afterward rationally, Adachi had absolutely no reason to get mad, Shimamura did promise to go to a festival with her. Also Shimamura did answer that it was just a friend and Adachi should know how dense is Shima so she should understand that when Shima said friend then it's just a friend. I totally get what Adachi's point is but in practise she is the one in the wrong and Shimamura's reaction even if she is harsh, is totally understandable.You have someone who is always awkward toward you when you're talking together suddendly renting like a possesive lover when Shima was just hanging out with a long lost friend. It hurt me that Shima answer that bluntly but not only it's totally her style of answer,it's also apretty normal reaction.

last edited at Jan 27, 2020 10:19AM

it took me 40 minutes to read this 7-pages monologue because it killed me on the inside, especially what came after that.

im depressed.

I feel like Adachi’s meltdown isn’t even really about Tarumi so much as it’s about having these romantic feelings she hasn’t been able to talk to literally anyone about or even entirely acknowledge in her own head for the better part of a year

"Do you hate that I like you? Do you hate me like mom does? Will you stop talking to me? Will you look at me like you didn't know me?"

I accidentally read the spoilers about the phone call a while ago and I still wasn't ready. I read the chapters yesterday at night and I'm still not ok.

Jesus.

Boy. These two chapters sure leave a lot to unpack.

I’m really curious to see how Shimamura responds to this, because she’s kind of in the drivers seat right now. While of course I want to see Adachi and Shima to get together, I also understand the feelings Adachi is going through, and in all honesty... a response like that was important. Shima is getting tugged hard in two directions, and at least from Adachi her motives are pretty self centered. From what we’ve seen she’s not particularly interested in making Shimamura happy or really deepening their relationship. She just wants to spend time with her because, like she said, it gives her life meaning. Which isn’t an unforgivable sin by any means, it’s part of being a teenager, but it IS selfish.

Getting angry at your crush spending time with someone else is already quite selfish, but to blow up like Adachi did and rant for that long... that was rough to read. Because on one hand, it feels like she’s taking advantage of Shimamura’s passiveness yet again by pouring all this frustration onto her for something mostly innocuous. On the other hand, Adachi has been sending some pretty strong signals over the past several chapters that Shimamura never picked up on, so a full unload like that feels natural.

Overall I’m incredibly happy that Shimamura gave a harsh response like that (by page 4 I was positive that she had already hung up out of shock). Had her response been too friendly or romantic then it would’ve continued the trend of Shima being overly passive and coddling to Adachi, but not this time. This will be very important to Shima’s character growth in standing up for herself and how she interprets/reacts to ALL of Adachi’s feelings.

I have faith in the author. Given the rest of the books we can be sure that the situation won’t turn out too ugly, all I can hope is that it’s emotionally satisfying.

Holy... and Shimamura listened the WHOLE Adachi things. Now, I want the studio to adapt this phone call in the anime FAITHFULLY.

Holy... and Shimamura listened the WHOLE Adachi things. Now, I want the studio to adapt this phone call in the anime FAITHFULLY.

Lol, I’ll be shocked if it gets this far, unfortunately

I am really curious as to how this is gonna work out, though. I phrased it like a joke earlier, but Adachi genuinely needs a good therapist at this point because I don’t see how Shima is remotely emotionally equipped to parse any of what just happened. But I rather doubt that’s how this is gonna go, and we know from the series’ reputation and the fact that it has 3 more books featuring our girls looking relaxed and happy together on the covers that this doesn’t go TOO disastrously...

There are no therapists in Japanese fiction. The best one you could expect here is unironically that quack fortune-teller.

Adachi obviously comes across as kind of a crazy ranting loon in this... confession? Rant? But I kind of like that for once it's not like a sparkly beautiful stereotypical confession scene, she's not even fully aware of what she's saying it just all comes out. Some of it's on Shimamura too, she never responds so Adachi just keeps on crying and talking.

And it is tough on Adachi... She knows she doesn't have the right to be jealous because she's just a friend, but also it kills her that she's still just a friend, and she's been kinda hoping that OK well, technically we're just friends, but really maybe we're something beyond just that, we just haven't said it openly yet. The way Shimamura always goes along with everything but also never really provides anything to hold on to really is kinda brutal - Adachi and Tarumi kinda need to form a support group together, they're both having the same struggle!

And there's also obviously other shit going on for Adachi too. The series doesn't really focus on gay angst but it's stuck around under the surface, and she's obviously freaked out Shimamura would hate her if she's too open with her crush.

Command prompt: Extract Adachi_feels.zip? /click Yes

Oh shi- NO NOT THERE FFFFFFFffff. Dammit now I've got stuff that was packed neatly away spilling out all over the wrong places, just like the spaghetti spilling out of my pockets.

I've actually kinda been in a similar situation to Adachi, when I was around her age. My feelings were definitely one-sided and the object of my desire was utterly oblivious to it, and towards the end, she was also pretty cold and dismissive. I had a breakdown similar to Adachi--just an unstoppable tide of emotions, that of course only served to freak people out, rather than to "get it off my chest" and make me feel better. So I felt that whole last chapter in my soul, lol. Along with the usual massive amounts of secondhand embarrassment that seems to just come with the Adachi package in general.

Yeah I really like how organically all of Adachi’s disparate frustrations and fears - from her disconnect from her family to her fears about her feelings for Shimamura to her overall sense of alienation- burst out to the surface here after festering and boiling for so long

I just wonder how much of it was actually clear and concise and completely understandable, given the state of mind she was in and the fact that she was pretty much sobbing/blubbering about. I'm hoping that some of the more cringe things were at least incomprehensible, and Shimamura just sat there spacing out while Adachi word-vomited everywhere. I will feel slightly less annoyed with Shima's "what a pain" and hangup on an obviously distressed friend if she basically only heard the equivalent of "adpoireupalkboiueopqiruepliajsdflkja;elrjqperijqpwerjadlkj".

I just wonder how much of it was actually clear and concise and completely understandable, given the state of mind she was in and the fact that she was pretty much sobbing/blubbering about. I'm hoping that some of the more cringe things were at least incomprehensible, and Shimamura just sat there spacing out while Adachi word-vomited everywhere. I will feel slightly less annoyed with Shima's "what a pain" and hangup on an obviously distressed friend if she basically only heard the equivalent of "adpoireupalkboiueopqiruepliajsdflkja;elrjqperijqpwerjadlkj".

Oh yeah, huh. I hadn’t even really considered that possibility.

....maaaan I really wanna get back inside Shimamura’s head...

....maaaan I really wanna get back inside Shimamura’s head...

... it's basically this I think:

Me after seeing 4 chapter updated: Aw yiss, more Adachi and Shimamura !

Also me after reading some comment here: ...You almost got me with your cliffhanger hell. I think I will wait

....maaaan I really wanna get back inside Shimamura’s head...

... it's basically this I think:

Me after seeing 4 chapter updated: Aw yiss, more Adachi and Shimamura !

Also me after reading some comment here: ...You almost got me with your cliffhanger hell. I think I will wait

sneikkimies is the best villain of 2020 and we're barely a month in.