hope it's only the two of them

I'd be happy, but this insane studying culture background plot is the kind of miserable reminder of Japanese reality I don't need ^^

How is that insane? It seems to me they are just trying their best to study and pass an important exam. It’s not that crazy or miserable, y’know?

Here we go. We finally have all the ingredients. Time for Sunflower and Matsuri to bring in the New Year, hand in hand.

It's happening!! Guys guys, it's happening!

pretty bold of you ms sunflower, striking the chance while it's hot.( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

"And we've been living together ever since." -Sunflower, wearing a wedding ring, probably

...But can Matsuri survive?

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

...But can Matsuri survive?

It's a little death.

Already at meeting the parents, things are moving mile a minute now!

I can't believe what I just read.
Miss Sunflower has now met her future mom.
Also, I can finally see where Matsuri got her good taste.
Truly a cultured woman.

I love that her mom said she was gorgeous haha. Also So many good up close shots of happy Matsuri in this chapter! I can't think of a manga that does close up shots better then this right now they're all just so damn good.

Notice the nice little bit of business in the intro: before the story opens, Miss Sunflower has almost certainly just introduced herself by her real name when Matsuri’s mom responds with, “So you’re the rumored Miss Sunflower?”

Not only do readers not know Miss Sunflower and her brother’s real names (only Onii-san’s pen name is known), as far as we know neither do any of the girls. (Mom and Miss S. appear to be on the front step, and we assume Onii-san is behind her.)

If we do ever find out their proper names, I’m sure they’re going to sound weird—in Kase-san I’ve almost gotten used to “Yui” for Yamada, but I still haven’t gotten my head around “Tomoka” for Kase.

I don't remember being bothered by the brother being around...until now, like I'm not angry just disappointed.

last edited at Jul 8, 2022 8:01PM

I haven't logged in here in years but...

Why... why can't Matsuri and Miss Sunflower be alone for once.

I don't really hate all the other characters but at this point I really don't care about them at all.

And thanks god gouma-den for dropping chapters like this, I'd lose my shit waiting for kawaii.

Oh, wow, didn't expect such a negative reaction to Kaoru staying at Matsuri's.
If I had to guess, he's staying so he can drive Ms Sunflower to the bookery every day.
I know, I know, we all wanted Matsuri and Ms Sunflower to sleep on the same bed, wake up and see each other's face first thing in the morning and have the bookery all to themselves... but slow burn is the name of the game and this is what we got.
It'll happen, though. It will happen or we riot!

last edited at Jul 9, 2022 11:28AM

Oh, wow, didn't expect such a negative reaction to Kaoru staying at Matsuri's.
If I had to guess, he's staying so he can drive Ms Sunflower to the bookery every day.
I know, I know, we all wanted Matsuri and Ms Sunflower to sleep on the same bed, wake up and see each other's face first thing in the morning and have the bookery all to themselves... but slow burn is the name of the game and this is what we got.
It'll happen, though. It will happen or we riot!

I basically agree with you on the pacing. But we were left in the previous chapter with Miss Sunflower inviting Matsuri to stay at the bookery, then we get a switcheroo where they’re at Matsuri’s house meeting the family and with Onii-san tagging along.

I’m a little hard-pressed to say exactly why, but, if the “study session” is going to take place at Matsuri’s it somehow seems more appropriate that Kaoru tags along, where it wouldn’t be at the bookery. (Again, I can’t quite say why it seems that way to me.)

Basically, though, we really ought to be blaming the damned dog.

It's an act of kindness to not leave him alone but it's starting to look like he's really really lonely all the time, considering that he hang outs only with friends that are friends by extension of her sister's friends or co workers, he doesn't hang out with anyone else.

It's an act of kindness to not leave him alone but it's starting to look like he's really really lonely all the time, considering that he hang outs only with friends that are friends by extension of her sister's friends or co workers, he doesn't hang out with anyone else.

That’s a good point. If I recall correctly, when the brother was first introduced, it was stated or implied that he and Miss Sunflower hadn’t seen each other in a while and weren’t that close. The implication of that was that he had been having a full life of his own since he moved out of the family home, including but not necessarily limited to his career as a writer (i.e., non-work friends of his own). But since the siblings have grown closer, there’s been no evidence of any world for Onii-san except for his professional connections and the bookery folks.

Maybe having him along all the time is just the comedy manga trope of “as many of the cast tags along as often as possible.” What we haven’t seen is the specifically romance trope of “MCs try desperately to be alone together” trope—Miss Sunflower is still too emotionally clueless for that, and Matsuri, well, she’s still Matsuri. She certainly wants to be with Miss Sunflower, and she wants to get to know her better, but having other people around when she does that doesn’t seem to a problem for her.

For us on the other hand . . .

last edited at Jul 9, 2022 2:43PM

Yeah, since the father can't be with them during New Year's and Sunflower is staying with Matsuri it follows that the brother will go there too to spend time with his sister haha... I really wish he wasn't there either but oh well haha. Realistically there's no way he wouldn't be, it would be rude not to invite him lol. I just hope that Sunflower gets to stay in Matsuri's room and the brother doesn't intervene too much XD We're finally getting some development so please lol
That being said, omg... I've been following this manga since I was 14 or so and not even sure that I liked women and I'm 25 now!! I've been here forever, growing along with Matsuri haha. I remember how much I related to her having that sort of crush and now I just wish they will finally get together after so many years!! I get such a nostalgic feeling reading this while at the same time looking forward to new chapters. It's such a bizarre feeling. Don't know if anyone here relates. Just logged in to say this. Ok, sorry for rambling XD

I don't remember being bothered by the brother being around...until now, like I'm not angry just disappointed.

I believe the author has used this tact more than once, at least with Matsuri's friends or another character like Ayame. And it's deliberate to prevent the expectation and realization of certain events that would counter act the slow-burn and sweetly or brightly innocent yet also bitter coming of age story. What I ague to have a mono no aware like quality.

Though more simply, Matsuri has a quality to her maturity that is often well below her years (she's well protected in her environment). Conversely, Miss Sunflower has a quality to her maturity that is often well above her years (she essentially had to skip adolescence to care for her brother, father, and take over the Bookery).

Despite them being relatively close in birth years (17/18 - 23), their personal qualities and life experiences create a far more significant age gap. Miss Sunflower also tends to keep her distance while Matsuri avoids imposing, which brings them back a little closer in mental age, but requires both of them to "grow up" a bit to meet on the same page. And we see this occur little by little.

It would truly be inexplicable for there to be a sudden romantic and or sensual development. And I would argue wholly inappropriate.

last edited at Jul 10, 2022 7:09PM

It would truly be inexplicable for there to be a sudden romantic and or sensual development. >And I would argue wholly inappropriate.

I agree with the main point here, and I’ve been saying simply on the basis of the number of chapters left that this is unlikely to be the place for “a sudden romantic development.”

I think most readers’ enthusiastic reactions to the end of the previous chapter were simply the traditional half-serious excitement at an impending sleepover, etc. chapter rather than a real expectation of a sudden swerve toward intimacy—that’s never been how this series works.

That being said, it would have been perfectly plausible for Matsuri to have stayed at the bookery with just Miss Sunflower and for the two of them to have gotten some “alone time” (as they had in the onsen sequence). Indeed, they may well still get some at Matsuri’s house anyway.

I’d also say that the “maturity gap” you mention has methodically been closing for quite some time now—Miss Sunflower has been loosening up (her very invitation to Matsuri is one example of that), and Matsuri has been nothing but diligent as she prepares for exams (again, her desire to spend the New Year studying is an example of that).

Matsuri still looks young, but not as young as she did previously. I think that's the purpose of the recent chapter featuring Miyako-san—a reminder that “small and young-looking” appearances can be deceiving.

Hey hey I'm not demanding sexual advancement, you think I've been here since 2013 to not know that? even if they were alone together, it wouldn't happen because they're not at that stage and I can agree 100% on this of course but I disagree with saying that any romantic development would be sudden, it's practically just waiting to happen, but those things don't happen so easily in a group or working.

Even if they were left alone and nothing "big" happens, it would still be special just for the fact that it was their moment, a memory for just 2, a couple.

last edited at Jul 10, 2022 9:16PM

Hey hey I'm not demanding sexual advancement, you think I've been here since 2013 to not know that? even if they were alone together, it wouldn't happen because they're not at that stage and I can agree 100% on this of course but I disagree with saying that any romantic development would be sudden, it's practically just waiting to happen, but those things don't happen so easily in a group or working.

Even if they were left alone and nothing "big" happens, it would still be special just for the fact that it was their moment, a memory for just 2, a couple.

That last is pretty much what I’m saying—I’d have liked to have seen it.

As to the overall romantic arc, I think it’s pretty remarkable how, ever since that “you’re special to me, Matsuri” moment under the sakura tree, the two of them have been very steadily inching closer and closer. But both of them are still quite oblivious in their own way, and it’s like, I dunno, one of those heavy machinery construction things where it has to go sloooow and steady for everything to come together and not come crashing down by trying to rush it.

last edited at Jul 10, 2022 10:15PM

Putting all the development talk aside, that two page spread with the bookshelf was lovely. And so was the following page.