I just don't want the "previously unseen relative wants Chidori to live far away for her last year of high school" trope. Do we even know why only-child Chidori lives with her grandma? Are her parents alive and absent, or gone permanently?

You know, I always thought that Chidori's parents were around, just busy. So she naturally spends more time with her grandmother. I think there was a time when she got a ride somewhere and said it was one of her parents dropping her off while taking her grandmother to an appointment? But I don't remember her ever mentioning her mother or father specifically, or either of them even showing up. Now I'm going to have to go reread the whole damn thing again to check...

Edit: Okay, found something. Her mother and father both make brief appearances on this page. That exchange "Dear, do you want some watermelon?" "Sure" is between the grandmother and father, or possibly between the mother and father (I had to check the raws to make sure, since as you can see, I wasn't able to convey that very well in the translation).

Excellent catch--"Your mom says she got a really sweet one."

Not that it helps us to suss out Chidori's mystery text, but that confirms that the parents do exist, and they're local (so no, "Chidori moves far away at her parents' insistence." Probably).

And the translation is fine; it was just easy to miss the implied existence of two characters who have never been seen on-panel.

Are we finally getting to the arashi part of the story?

Excellent catch--"Your mom says she got a really sweet one."

Not that it helps us to suss out Chidori's mystery text, but that confirms that the parents do exist, and they're local (so no, "Chidori moves far away at her parents' insistence." Probably).

And the translation is fine; it was just easy to miss the implied existence of two characters who have never been seen on-panel.

While looking for this scene, the first chapter I checked was this one, which really freaked me out. The bottom panels show Nanoha with her family... while Chidori and her grandmother visit a gravestone. But no, it was a false alarm. Unless Chidori's parents died over summer break, and presumably she would've mentioned something like that.

Are we finally getting to the arashi part of the story?

The "arashi part of the story" is every time they're about to make out but then someone walks into the room, they smash their heads together, or Chidori is too hungry.

Unless Chidori's parents died over summer break, and presumably she would've mentioned something like that.

That would be pretty hardcore stoical even for Chidori.

That is an odd scene, though--that's the traditional "parents are dead" obon scene, with the young person and the caretaker elder at the grave. If the author just didn't feel like coming up with character designs for the parents, they could have still been indistinct figures in the background.

Or maybe author-san just lost the plot about the parents a little bit, like when Chidori was both wearing her school uniform and it was drying over the railing simultaneously.

EDIT: No, I'm totally wrong--Chidori's mom appears in a relatively extended sequence when Chidori is experiencing reality-re-entry after the fireworks kiss:

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/hana_ni_arashi_ch49#7

That next chapter can't get here soon enough . . .

last edited at Nov 7, 2021 5:04PM

Either something completely random and unexpected is about to happen or the friends circle is gonna be like "when you two gonna quit pretending like we don't already know you two are dating?"

I hate cliffhangers, even though i'm fairly sure it's nothing bad.

Unless Chidori's parents died over summer break, and presumably she would've mentioned something like that.

That would be pretty hardcore stoical even for Chidori.

That is an odd scene, though--that's the traditional "parents are dead" obon scene, with the young person and the caretaker elder at the grave. If the author just didn't feel like coming up with character designs for the parents, they could have still been indistinct figures in the background.

Or maybe author-san just lost the plot about the parents a little bit, like when Chidori was both wearing her school uniform and it was drying over the railing simultaneously.

EDIT: No, I'm totally wrong--Chidori's mom appears in a relatively extended sequence when Chidori is experiencing reality-re-entry after the fireworks kiss:

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/hana_ni_arashi_ch49#7

That next chapter can't get here soon enough . . .

I'm pretty sure that's her grandmother again. She has the same hair as in her other appearances (her wrinkles grow more or less intense depending on how hot it is). Plus, she's the one who calls her Chii-chan.

Re: Chidori's "gaffe." In Chapter 77, after the return from the school trip, Rei-chin tells Mai about Nanoha and Chidori's fight, and says, "I was seriously worried that they'd split up for good."

So obviously everyone already thinks of the two of them as "together," so Chidori's "If I stay with you Nanoha," really is par for the course. (Or you could read it as that at some level everyone else knows already.)

I mean, it's not that big a leap from super-bestest pals who pat each others' butts and ogle each others' boobs to super-bestest pals, etc., who kiss for real in a lesbianic way, but I for one would be disappointed if the reveal, if and (most likely) when it comes, doesn't get the "Eeeeeeh?s" and "Kyaa!s" that it deserves.

EDIT: No, I'm totally wrong--Chidori's mom appears in a relatively extended sequence when Chidori is experiencing reality-re-entry after the fireworks kiss:

https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/hana_ni_arashi_ch49#7

That next chapter can't get here soon enough . . .

I'm pretty sure that's her grandmother again. She has the same hair as in her other appearances (her wrinkles grow more or less intense depending on how hot it is). Plus, she's the one who calls her Chii-chan.

No, you're right--the "Chii-chan" is the grandma tell. But earlier Nanoha asks, "Does your family call you Chii-chan?," and Chidori replies that only her grandmother does, implying that there are other family members who are close enough to potentially do so, but don't.

Families are present in this series but don't ordinarily play a huge role, so it's no surprise that details on Chidori's family are a little sketchy. But that obon grave scene, which I hadn't noticed at all before, still seems a little odd without the parents.

But that obon grave scene, which I hadn't noticed at all before, still seems a little odd without the parents.

Oba-san clearly lives alone, so I assumed the grave was Jiji-chan.

But that obon grave scene, which I hadn't noticed at all before, still seems a little odd without the parents.

Oba-san clearly lives alone, so I assumed the grave was Jiji-chan.

But she doesn't live alone--she and Chidori definitely live together. And as schuyguy showed us, in that scene from Chapter 37, Chidori says over the phone, "My family's around," and grandma says to Chidori "Your mom got a really sweet [watermelon]," and then the mom's voice offers some to the husband, who accepts.

So sure, the grave could well be the grandfather's, but Chidori's parents definitely exist, but are oddly elusive. Again, family members in these series often are--we've seen Nanoha's mom and sister, but she also has a dad and an older brother who both seem to exist only in the distant dimension of salarymen. But I'm now pretty sure I got the mistaken impression that Chidori's parents might be dead from a buried memory of that grave scene.

EDIT: Chidori gets a ride to school from her parents (unseen, in a tinted-windowed car) on a snowy day in Chapter 97.

last edited at Nov 7, 2021 7:14PM

I'm at chapter 48 right now and I don't know if I dislike Chidori's senpai or I sympathize with her...
Also I know I'm commenting on a very old chapter, considering, but well. ;@;

I'm waiting for them to come out to their friends and get the, "Um... yeah... tell us something we don't know!" response.

I'm at chapter 48 right now and I don't know if I dislike Chidori's senpai or I sympathize with her...
Also I know I'm commenting on a very old chapter, considering, but well. ;@;

That's probably been the most divisive issue about this series on this forum. The opposing camps seem to be:

1) Senpai is a poor lost lesbian lamb who deserves all the sympathy in our hearts.

2) Senpai hurt Chidori and therefore by definition should DIAF.

(Yes, this is an incredibly biased and one-sided characterization--read the forum for more nuanced takes on the senpai situation.)

Doh! Unexpected baking instead

Now that’s what I call drama, Hana ni Arashi-style.

Also, Chidori’s parents might as well be on the moon—Grandma’s out, so the decks are cleared for cuddling.

My headcanon: Mai and the manager are now an item.

last edited at Nov 9, 2021 9:55PM

Well, that was kinda out of leftfield but at least it wasn’t stupid drama. An actual realistic awkward situation.

Drama averted ! Not gonna lie, I got my hopes up a bit when it looked for a second like Chidori would be home alone with Nanoha :P Oh well !

I know they have an awkward history with this girl, but I'm glad they have someone they can be open around.

Oh my god
Finally
Someone they can be open with and rest easy with
Hopefully the rest of their friends can follow behind, but for now it's an amazing and wonderful start
Baby steps, one at a time

^Yeah

I hope they get to tell their friends soon. It's not like they're homophobic since they reacted positively to that other sapphic couple in the earlier chapters. I guess main couple is just shyyy

I hope they get to tell their friends soon. It's not like they're homophobic since they reacted positively to that other sapphic couple in the earlier chapters. I guess main couple is just shyyy

Yeah, they're shy, especially Chidori. But this chapter gives a little insight into the specifics of their shyness. Assuming they came out to their friends, they'd still need to keep things from the the general public (remember how Abe-chan--half of that other sapphic couple--first referred to her relationship as "rumors" on the Tokyo trip? i.e., their friends may know but the whole school doesn't. And then there are the parents).

More importantly, if they were out to their friends, they'd need to calibrate how lovey-dovey they could be even in front of them. And, of course, they'd risk the old "Relationships are breaking up that old gang of mine" (see note) thing, too, where the friends could feel estranged because of the two of them being an overt couple.

• here's George Harrison doing.a version of the 1929 song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqT3f-rvXBk

I'm certainly not saying they're right to keep their relationship hidden, just that coming out creates certain complications even if their friends are totally OK with it.

Did not expect this turn, but it's nice nonetheless. Hopefully Mai will be able to move forward as well.

And Nanoha is just being silly there... :D

My headcanon: Mai and the manager are now an item.

Or will be after this.

I actually expected her to ask for advice on confessing at first when I saw her there.

last edited at Nov 10, 2021 6:51AM

I actually expected her to ask for advice on confessing at first when I saw her there.

From my reading, I suspect it's much more likely that Manager-chan will do the confessing. Mai seemed pretty oblivious to Manager-chan's unrequited feelings when Mai rejoined the basketball club.