Sal Jiang doing great work as always. Love how Saho's handled here- her chubbiness isn't made the center of the narrative or her character, but isn't easily dismissed either- the remark about how people see her as a mascot is quite apt, since even the nominally-positive trope of the 'jolly chubby person who's friend-shaped and full of happiness' is a stereotype too. Being reduced to a cuddly, docile panda whose acceptability in society is contingent on her amiability can prove just as restrictive and hurtful as being insulted in more direct ways, and this anxiety about dismissal, this expectation of gratefulness wherein Saho feels that an acknowledgment of the additional space she physically occupies must necessarily be balanced by a reduction of the emotional, personal space she's allowed to claim subtly manifests in her dynamic with Kenji. Even though he seems to be an archetypical Nice Guy creep who's been hitting on her during working hours (extremely uncomfortable in and of itself, as most people working such a position can tell you) for two fucking years, she's still sorta hesitant to turn him down, and this unwillingness to fully express herself is particularly ironic given her dream of being a singer, but also especially cathartic when she finally commits to claiming her space, sounding out her voice, and pushing Kenji away, refusing to be the soft, docile girlfriend he thinks himself entitled to in his Kenji-centric model of the universe.
And yet, though this story acknowledges the abrasion, the chafing that results from Saho moving through a space that doesn't fully fit or accommodate her, it's also willing not to define Saho solely with reference to that discomfort, and lets her be attractive, desirable and ultimately independent. You could read the story as an allegorical exploration of the issues chubby people face even in societies that are not openly fatphobic, but still privilege a certain type of beauty, both physical and emotional, that forces women to occupy minimal space, or you could read it simply as a fluffy oneshot about a lady realizing her feelings (to say nothing to other readings, like one that interprets Saho through the lens of bisexuality, a sexuality that is also viewed as demanding too much and therefore negatively associated w/ excess and indecisiveness). Thus, it strikes a very neat balance between an Explicit Issue Story that yells, "YO, ASSHOLES, CHUBBY WOMEN ARE VALID AS FUCK!" (a perfectly reasonable approach, given how suffocating traditional beauty standards, especially Asian, can be) and vapid wish-fulfillment in that detached-from-reality pocket dimension that so many yuri stories place themselves in (again, also reasonable, because dealing with bullshit daily takes a toll and sometimes you want to escape, but the bullshit's still going to be there tomorrow and it's important to call it out). Overall, excellent effort.
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