I just re-read this. Still fun! If a frustrating ending... kind of want to see Mitsuki become Ayaka's rich (well, secure) lover, but it's left to our imagination.
Probably the biggest tragic element is that if Mitsuki had been honest during the sleepover, things might have taken a rather different tack. Ayaka was being pretty physically pushy there, and yeah highlighting "you're rich! (or rich enough)"
Though there's "that's the kind of girl you are" here https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/pretender#41
hard to tell if Ayaka was earlier suspecting Mitsuki of liking her or not. I bet Kodama loves "you can't tell what the other girl is thinking" ambiguity.
The gold digger turns out to be a poor girl desperate to get out of her situation
I mean, what do you think the typical gold digger is?
I don't think Ayaka call wrong person. Look at how she smile when Mitsuki shows up, all according to plan :)))
Good point!
She was so drunk she called the wrong person and couldn't even walk properly without support.
Based on https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/pretender#38 and not having "decent parents" I don't think Ayaka meant to call her father. But based on https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/pretender#33 I think she wanted to sound like she was calling her father, to drive off a pushy guy.
As for not walking properly, sometimes people fake that. In college, I had a good friend, whom I'd see at big parties almost falling-down drunk, draped on/clinging to her boy. I was very worried for her, mostly for simply being that drunk. Except, one time, I saw her detach from the boy, and walk in a straight line across the courtyard. So apparently not so drunk after all. And my friend was not a full-time manipulator like Ayaka.
In short, you can't always tell. Though the fact that Ayaka didn't notice Mitsuki rifling her purse does suggest being fairly out of it.
I don't see how "Mitsuki isn't interested in guys because she doesn't have to be."
Well, that was Ayaka's take. "You don't have to hook a rich husband or a decent life."
