Meanwhile, chapter 6 is "what?" for me.

Meanwhile, chapter 6 is "what?" for me.

Chapter 6 is in two parts: before chapter 5 and after chapter 5. Or before the "joint activities" (she's preparing the book covering stuff) and 'after the joint activities" (she's writing a report).

It's meant to show her change of attitude from the point of view of Shirakawa.

Before, she was doing her job mechanically. She cut the conversation with Shirakawa about the presidents meeting, as if it didn't really interest her.

After, she's more lively and implicated and Shirakawa notices it.

For sure, the author likes to suggest things more than explain them.

last edited at Aug 26, 2022 3:38AM

For sure, the author likes to suggest things more than explain them.

I mean, writers and authors are taught to show more than tell, and I find that Japanese and Chinese authors especially like doing that.

Personally, I really love things like these. They're subtle and easy enough to understand, and once you do you can appreciate it a bit more.

Gay panic girl makes progress, nice!

I really love how much Tachibana is like a jealous puppy, desperate for attention from her owner. Her face lights up instantly from so little as a glance from Shiki.

I really love how much Tachibana is like a jealous puppy, desperate for attention from her owner. Her face lights up instantly from so little as a glance from Shiki.

Tachibana's reactions are amazing. From dejection at the silent treatment to totally awestruck at so much as a single word out of Shiki. And Shiki herself being an unsure, asocial idiot really helps too. Strangely heartwarming chapter, but I'm not going to complain.

this is hilarious lol. I can't wait till she realizes she wants Shiki more than a friend and then have a meltdown

Also did Shiki blush a little there? Is the ship sailing?

last edited at Dec 21, 2022 7:57PM

Dang this is pretty and the story very nice.

Shiki's shikillion dollar smile instantly made me die

10.5 hour work day, oof. Not counting commute.

These chapters are too small. Who doesn't want an entire 7 page chapter devoted to stalking the cute nurse?

This manga is so fun to read. Love how overdramatic it is

Wow, some really great panels this chapter. I love the focus on hands. Clasping, holding or letting go.

This manga is so fun to read. Love how overdramatic it is

It really gets how dramatic interpersonal difficulties can feel in middle school. These chapters are cleverly in Tachibana's (over)zealous perspective most of the time, so an objective frame of reference that could bring her feelings into ugly melodrama territory is obfuscated. If Tachibana wasn't the MC and alternatively was introduced from another character's perspective, she would've been annoying to deal with as a reader. Kind of like how Shiki was to many readers in the original run of 14-sai no Koi. It really shows how much the mangaka has evolved since then.

And now that I'm thinking about it, it's fun to see the similarities between Shiki at the beginning of 14-sai no Koi and Tachibana. Shiki had a lot more self-awareness, but Tachibana is less shrewd in her attempts to get closer to her crush. Maybe Tachibana can be this forward with her infatuation because she lacks that same awareness of her romantic feelings? I can't wait to see what happens when she finally achieves gay enlightenment lol. She's getting there! Slowly but surely!

This manga is so fun to read. Love how overdramatic it is

It really gets how dramatic interpersonal difficulties can feel in middle school.

This is definitely a time when the young characters felt young; that total commitment to a dramatic theory on flimsy evidence is so typical.
(Mind you, some people never grow out of it, and it stops looking so cute when you have major political factions using that kind of thinking to justify hatred)

I thought I kind of understood what was going on in this one, and then I read the comments and realized I'm missing 100% of the relevant information. According to other people in this thread, Shiki and the nurse are not in any kind of romantic relationship, and are instead people who commiserate over their respective unrequited lesbian crushes. Then what the hell is going on in chapter 10? When I read it, I was like, "Oh, this is revealing the fact that their implied romantic relationship is something which Shiki is pushing for and not the other way around. Maybe she is blackmailing the nurse?" Except they don't have a romantic relationship at all and they're actually friends. So why does Haijima-sensei want to keep Shiki away from herself? And why is Shiki making that face on the second to the last page? Maybe this would all make way more sense if I just read the original work.

In fact, if there's no romantic relationship between the nurse and Shiki, then what's the point of half of these chapters? I was assuming that the second half of this story would be a big conflict centering on Tachibana realizing that Shiki was dating the nurse, and that the relationship is messy (something like Shiki is blackmailing the nurse, or the nurse is emotionally manipulating Shiki, or their relationship is inherently toxic because of the age gap but Shiki begs Tachibana to keep it a secret). And then Tachibana has to grapple with whether she should "save" Shiki from that relationship, and with whether she could actually do so if she tried, which causes her own feelings to come to the front. But if that's not the case, and we're meant to know that their relationship is entirely benign and platonic from the beginning, then where on Earth is this story going?

What was the point of building up all this tension around the relationship between Shiki and the nurse? Is it all just dramatic irony? Are we meant to go, "Oh that silly Tachibana, she's getting all worked up over this relationship she's imagining between Shiki and Haijima-sensei when there's really nothing going on. Ha ha ha! As soon as they talk about it, she'll feel like such a fool! Maybe that will make her reveal her crush?" Except, that isn't at all the direction chapter 10 seems to be leading, so what's up with that?? Shiki is acting like there IS something suspicious and concerning about their relationship. I'm so confused.

last edited at Apr 10, 2023 1:14PM

^
Yes reading the original work is really worthwhile, it's great even with the only yuri being unrequited, plus it was hosted here for a while. This is one of 3 spin offs from it.

But basically Shiki likes Tanaka Kanata of the MC's couple. For reference see original ch 21.5
The nurse (Haijima sensei) likes Hinohara sensei (see Harmony), but that too is unrequited.

Both Shiki and the nurse basically tend each other's wounds. For reference see original ch 38.
But their relationship is somewhat tenuous. For reference see original ch 45.

So...it's complicated

I thought I kind of understood what was going on in this one, and then I read the comments and realized I'm missing 100% of the relevant information. According other people in this thread, Shiki and the nurse are not in any kind of romantic relationship, and are instead people who commiserate over their respective unrequited lesbian crushes. Then what the hell is going on in chapter 10? When I read it, I was like, "Oh, this is revealing the fact that their implied romantic relationship is something which Shiki is pushing for and not the other way around. Maybe she is blackmailing the nurse?" Except they don't have a romantic relationship at all and they're actually friends. So why does Haijima-sensei want to keep Shiki away from herself? And why is Shiki making that face on second to the last page? Maybe this would all make way more sense if I just read the original work.

In fact, if there's no romantic relationship between the nurse and Shiki, then what's the point of half of these chapters? I was assuming that the second half of this story would be a big conflict centering on Tachibana realizing that Shiki was dating the nurse, and that the relationship is messy (something like Shiki is blackmailing the nurse, or the nurse is emotionally manipulating Shiki, or their relationship is inherently toxic because of the age gap but Shiki begs Tachibana to keep it a secret). And then Tachibana has to grapple with whether she should "save" Shiki from that relationship, and with whether she could actually do so if she tried, which causes her own feelings to come to the front. But if that's not the case, and we're meant to know that their relationship is entirely benign and platonic from the beginning, then where on Earth is this story going?

What was the point of building up all this tension around the relationship between Shiki and the nurse? Is it all just dramatic irony? Are we meant to go, "Oh that silly Tachibana, she's getting all worked up over this relationship she's imagining between Shiki and Haijima-sensei when there's really nothing going on. Ha ha ha! As soon as they talk about it, she'll feel like such a fool! Maybe that will make her reveal her crush?" Except, that isn't at all the direction chapter 10 seems to be leading, so what's up with that?? Shiki is acting like there IS something suspicious and concerning about their relationship. I'm so confused.

The "tension" that's building up is within Tachibana, and not necessarily something that is supposed to be shared by the reader, at least those who have read the original series.

It's pretty clear that Tachibana is incorrectly reading into the relationship between Shiki and the nurse (as is the health club president). She's right that there's something going on beyond a mere student-mentor relationship--they are out as lesbians to each other and are aware of who the other one likes--but (as far as we know) she's profoundly wrong that the nurse is manipulating Shiki.

The nurse, it can be inferred, thinks it would be a good idea for Shiki (who is seriously asocial) to have a friend her own age to talk to rather than an adult teacher--the two of them do need to keep the "special" nature of their relationship under wraps, even though it's not up to this point a romantic one. Shiki's final reaction may suggest that she's developing feelings for the nurse, or it may just be an indication that she's closer to the nurse than a student in her position ought to be.

EDIT: shadesan's tip ^about the relevant OG chapters was useful in this context, since Chapter 45 features:

• the nurse telling Shiki to stop trying to interfere with the relationship between the music teacher and the music boy on her behalf, specifically saying, "You must simply stay away from me," (i.e., stop messing in my business).

• the nurse modeling an appreciation of her crush's cute expressions without any anticipation of a reciprocal relationship, just as Shiki thinks the nurse is "adorable," and as Tachibana sees Shiki's expression that she was first attracted to.

last edited at Apr 10, 2023 10:54AM

I hadn't realized this and Harmony were at the same school!

As I've read all the series, it sounds pretty obvious to me:

• Shiki had a crush on Kanata, but in the course of 14-sai, eventually understood that it would never amount to anything
• Haijima has/had a crush on Hinohara for years (since High School I think?), but also knows it'll stay unrequited. She's even the one who more or less direct Hinohara to Nagai
• Shiki becomes aware that she and Haijima are "of the same kind" in 14-Sai and starts to hangout at the infirmary to find solace with someone who understands her. She even tries to interfere in Hinohara's relationship with Nagai, for her to spend time with Haijima.
• Haijima is literally PISSED OFF at Shiki, because Shiki is meddling with things she shouldn't and also Haijima sees her own younger self in Shiki, with her hopeless crush on another girl. So, she's harsh with Shiki, trying to get her aground and realize that she's going into a dead end.

Now, in Reliance, this is their third year of Middle School. Kanata is still in the school, as we saw, but her boyfriend moved, as we also saw in 14-Sai. Shiki obviously gave up on her, but still hangs out at the infirmary and even volunteered to be part of the health committee. In chapter 1, Haijima is less than thrilled by it.

I think the rest means that: Haijima has no feelings for Shiki and tries to keep her busy with a new friend she found for her. Shiki is maybe developing feelings for Haijima, but it's not clear. She at least relates a lot to her. Tachibana misinterprets their relationship as Haijima manipulating Shiki for her own benefit, but it's actually the reverse: Shiki is kinda obsessed with Haijima (as the sole lesbian she knows, probably) and Haijima is trying to keep her at bay. Not sure if she's in love, but I wouldn't put it past this author, who loves age-gap.

Aynway, the way Mizutani Fuuka writes is often real subtle and you have to read between the lines and it's all a build up.

Harmony in that regard is a lot more straightforward and comedic. Because we all know where the characters will stand in the end. It's fast food.

But Reliance is more intricate, dramatic and subtle. It's a gourmet dish.

The other thing to remember is that in this series (these series?), surveillance behavior by the characters that would amount to stalkerdom anywhere else is very common and is treated as being a comedic degree of interest (especially because the stalker person often has the wrong idea about what they're seeing). It's even not uncommon for there to be a third party watching one person spying on another, as happens in this chapter.

So spying/voyeur actions that would be presented as high drama in most other series are just par for the course in this one.

Gottem. Foolproof. Really showed 'em what for

Super dramatic teenagers are teenagers

Welcome to the dark side

ch 13, pg 3, "wanted thank you" -> "wanted to thank you".
pg 7, "this the place" -> "this is the place"

ch 13, pg 3, "wanted thank you" -> "wanted to thank you".
pg 7, "this the place" -> "this is the place"

Weird you mention it at this hour.

It was already corrected yesterday.

THis is some Sith stuff right here. Using her love to have her commit heinous acts. Everybody, hide your younglings!