I said that this chapter would reveal what type of story this really is and in a sense it did so. By making things more ambiguous on purpose of course.
Perhaps the bi-harem has been avoided (for now), thank the stars. But the prince is giving strong mixed signals. Airheaded, yet cunning. He seems to care about Lapis as her being happy and more relaxed around Natori seemed to excite him. On the other hand he is overly prying and may have more unsavory reasons to go so far as to use analyzing magic without consent (I do not buy the familiar mania explanation).

I am not quite sure what to think of Diana. She is being portrayed as strongly hostile and aggressive, utterly possessive, which does not seem to fit her early characterization. I doubt she was quite like this in the original game's lore, threatening people with cuttlery on their first meeting and all. The plot mostly focuses on characters being different behind the screen than how they appeared in front of it, but this is rather drastic. I have no interest in going as far as to label characters "yandere", because it is nearly always a complete exaggeration, but Diana does show a modicum of mental imbalance, just as she did by realizing that attacking people with deadly weapons and dragons can actually hurt them only a couple of weeks ago.

Lapis is surprisingly the most straighforward. She has a divise plan that she can predict will make her an enemy to many, but she cares about people, especially Natori. She is acutely aware of her strong points and starting to act a little tsundere. Adorable.

I think the prince immediately getting Natori's name right while Diana still fails to makes Diana seem even less likely to be successful in a love triangle.

Your obsssesion with the name matter is honestly baffling. Is this perhaps supposed to be a running gag of yours?
In case it is not: Natori and Natalie are pronounced almost the same in Japanese. That is the entire joke. Natalie would be a more understandable name in a Western style fantasy world. If you want to go any deeper than that you can call it a nickname or a character quirk and be done with it.
This is the least important, relevant or significant part of their entire chemistry, so perhaps it would be foolhardy to hinge the entire relationship on it, wouldn't you agree?

last edited at Mar 31, 2023 3:05AM

I might have an idea who's Natori going to end up with, and because it's gonna make the other very hurt, I am really not happy about it

All parties in this chapter were adorable! Too adorable! The heroine popping in to save nagori! The expressions! Such cute artwork! Ah gosh I really ship the heroine with nagori! The lil acknowledgement at the end! Lapis blushing?? Even the prince was adorable!

Your obsssesion with the name matter is honestly baffling. Is this perhaps supposed to be a running gag of yours?
In case it is not: Natori and Natalie are pronounced almost the same in Japanese. That is the entire joke. Natalie would be a more understandable name in a Western style fantasy world. If you want to go any deeper than that you can call it a nickname or a character quirk and be done with it.
This is the least important, relevant or significant part of their entire chemistry, so perhaps it would be foolhardy to hinge the entire relationship on it, wouldn't you agree?

I’d disagree, both lapis and the Prince call her name correctly and if it’s so similar then Diana should be able to call nagori by her actual name. While it makes sense that Diana would call her Natalie I feel like that’s part of the problem, she’s making nagori fit her world-view and not seeing “nagori”. Calling someone by their name is an acknowledgment of them as a person and clearly lapis ‘sees’ nagori as demonstrated in this chapter. While Diana isn’t necessarily.

And while it’s not necessarily something you should hinge a relationship on would the person really be considered a love interest (in this case) when they can’t even call you by your name? (In this case) I’d agree that this miscalling shows how Diana won’t hold a very large stake in the love triangle at least until she can call her by name.

That being said I totally ship it lol

Actually it's spelt "Natalie" and both Lapis and the Prince are over-pronouncing it like dad's at sushi restaurants, because they're racist. Obviously.

Jokes aside neko tarou said on twt that the Prince / Lapis have the diplomatic education to properly pronounce foreign names while Diana the commoner defaults to what she finds comfortable

last edited at Mar 31, 2023 5:07AM

Actually it's spelt "Natalie" and both Lapis and the Prince are over-pronouncing it like dad's at sushi restaurants, because they're racist. Obviously.

Jokes aside neko tarou said on twt that the Prince / Lapis have the diplomatic education to properly pronounce foreign names while Diana the commoner defaults to what she finds comfortable

woah, that's kind of cool! I love it when authors put in thought and care like that!

God this story is a rising fave now. I adore the angsty mixed messages and complicated feelings and seeing the cold, dark and emotionally wounded villainess lady feeling warmth and adoration for Natori (who is, herself, adorable and precious and I want her to succeed from the depths of my heart because she deserves it) is so satisfying, I could read yuri with that premise for the rest of my life and never get sick of it.

But OMG I fucking love the angle where Diana has this deep, almost obsessive infatuation with Natori too. God, I love it when the "good girl" has really strong, almost violent feelings that clash with her typical bearing. Her determination to protect Natori is already really attractive, but the jealousy and inner darkness that seems to be coming out just makes it so much more deliciously dramatic in my favorite ways.

This manga is like a master chef made one of my favorite dishes tuned exactly to my tastes but then told me I can only have one bite a month. Gahhhh I just want to see the next chapter already!!! The whole story even!!

As all of my math teacher said, statistics is everywhere. But can't seem to get a girlfriend from it sadge.

The yuri knight awakens.

Ahh my favorite, the Second lead syndrome. It'll never happen but I support Diana's future endeavors.

All the little things she does brightens my day
-Lapis

That's what love is, you described a working relationship.
I hope the prince doesn't become the sole villain, that would be tired.
Natori realized that she has become greedy... She is one house fire away from turning into Taihou tbh.

I'm rolling my dice for a polyamory check and hoping it at least gets a 50. It's just too cute to see multiple characters pining for each other.

My boy the prince has now awoken to yuri and stumbled right into an all-you-can-eat buffet. My boy's gonna be eating well, I'm kinda envious. I'm actually fairly certain he'll be more of a support/wingman than anything else after this chapter, and his saying that he sees Lapis as a little sister is sincerely just how it is.

I'm also not going to put a lot of weight into what seems like Diana being possessive and hostile, but it is now crystal clear that she's in love with Natori, if that wasn't clear already. I'm not sure how to feel about it, to be honest. I don't really feel like there's the need for a triangle or harem of any sort here, with how nicely the dynamic between Natori and Lapis is shaping up, but we'll see where this ship decides to steer itself.

Speaking of Natori and Lapis' dynamic, I'm loving how things are developing. My boy the prince caught Lapis there at the end, and Natori is a bit of a messy ball of feelings as well, so I'm feeling rather confident in declaring that the big gay is taking hold in both of them.

Aside from the big thing with Lapis' supposedly nefarious plan and her supposed attitude toward commoners, I have no clue where this story is going to go and what it is going to tackle, and I'm looking forward to seeing more.

As an aside, question about translation, how does Lapis' surname appear in the source text?

...I could read yuri with that premise for the rest of my life and never get sick of it.

Almost 100% agreed there. One of my favorite things is having these characters with icy, rough exteriors and seeing their ice slowly melt like that.

last edited at Mar 31, 2023 8:06AM

The yuri knight awakens.

Man is straight up lesbian shipping his fiance with her "summon" so much that he is willing to pay cold hard tax cash just to witness it.

Lord knows what will happen once he realises the cutesy love triangle that is developing.

Bonus points if the original plots' main protagonist bonds with the prince over the triangle,allowing a smooth transition of the prince and Lapis into someone they're destined to be with.

Possibly with less bloodshed.

I'm not sure how to feel about it, to be honest. I don't really feel like there's the need for a triangle or harem of any sort here, with how nicely the dynamic between Natori and Lapis is shaping up, but we'll see where this ship decides to steer itself.

I guess this could help with stopping her plans for Diana, but yes, the dynamic of our main couple is just perfect even without making it a triad.

The Prince caught his first whiff of yuri, instantly got hooked and shipped his fiancée with her secretary so hard he's willing to spend taxpayers' money to see more (dude's into NTR, evidently), and already got into a fight to defend his OTP from intruders :))

...I could read yuri with that premise for the rest of my life and never get sick of it.

Almost 100% agreed there. One of my favorite things is having these characters with icy, rough exteriors and seeing their ice slowly melt like that.

Kukuderedere

I think the prince immediately getting Natori's name right while Diana still fails to makes Diana seem even less likely to be successful in a love triangle.

Your obsssesion with the name matter is honestly baffling. Is this perhaps supposed to be a running gag of yours?
In case it is not: Natori and Natalie are pronounced almost the same in Japanese. That is the entire joke. Natalie would be a more understandable name in a Western style fantasy world. If you want to go any deeper than that you can call it a nickname or a character quirk and be done with it.
This is the least important, relevant or significant part of their entire chemistry, so perhaps it would be foolhardy to hinge the entire relationship on it, wouldn't you agree?

Probably I am focusing on it a little too much, but if the translation is giving us this contrast then it must be an important contrast, especially since Natori herself has tried to correct Diana and others before and Lapis never needed correcting. It could just be a sign of the level of education between the two potential love interests, but I do think since it gets focus then it probably also represents something about the relationships, otherwise there wouldn't be a difference at all.

I mean, you're basically asking me to ignore a consistent story element, which is odd to me. Why would it be there if it wasn't important? It's like the difference between the suitor that gets roses and the suitor that gets sunflowers knowing they're the love interests favorite flowers. Chekov's love details.

Probably I am focusing on it a little too much, but if the translation is giving us this contrast then it must be an important contrast, especially since Natori herself has tried to correct Diana and others before and Lapis never needed correcting. It could just be a sign of the level of education between the two potential love interests, but I do think since it gets focus then it probably also represents something about the relationships, otherwise there wouldn't be a difference at all.

I mean, you're basically asking me to ignore a consistent story element, which is odd to me. Why would it be there if it wasn't important? It's like the difference between the suitor that gets roses and the suitor that gets sunflowers knowing they're the love interests favorite flowers. Chekov's love details.

One character saying "G'morning" while another says "Good morning" can tell you on a surface level that one is more casual than the other. In this scenario you are determining that a character using "G'morning" will lose a love triangle romance because they are not using the proper wording.

Sometimes little details are little details that exist to be little details. It was already mentioned above, but it seems the author simply wanted to show a difference in education and status with this. A fairly standard way of characterisation with no especially deeper meaning in regards to every other plot point, let alone the blossoming romance. You cannot compare flower language, a matter that is build on deeper meaning and metaphors, to a simple character trait.

Though I want to end this by saying that you are free to interpret whatever you want into any aspect of a story. That is how we process art and storytelling. So I'm not telling you to stop anything, I just tried to perhaps broaden your perspective. Especially because Natori has stopped correcting her already and just accepted it.
It appears to me that it matters more to you than the actual characters.

last edited at Mar 31, 2023 10:58AM

What some folks seem to forget about Diana is that she is a video game protagonist, and those tend to resort to force whenever their goals are threatened. Diana seems to have a crush on Natori, but it's completely unrequited, but she neither realizes it, nor seems to be able to process it in any way other than getting violently protective of her whenever anyone outside her trust circle (which Lapis has already infiltrated, so she doesn't trigger it) gets too close. Diana is not a yandere, just a shonen protagonist who's getting deprotagonized and doesn't know how to deal with it.

I am here for this love triangle.

I say fuck it and make it a triad. Or just give Natori two girlfriends who are ok with sharing. She has two hands!!

Also once Lapis gives up on the “all commoners are sh*t” bs her friendship with Diana can turn into something truly genuine, the powerful commoner even helping if there truly is a coup-d’état threatening the lives of nobility (she’s a dependable knight, y’know) — class issues don’t need to end in bloodshed.

Or make the villainess and heroine a bit gay for each other, as a treat.

last edited at Mar 31, 2023 11:34AM

Probably I am focusing on it a little too much, but if the translation is giving us this contrast then it must be an important contrast, especially since Natori herself has tried to correct Diana and others before and Lapis never needed correcting. It could just be a sign of the level of education between the two potential love interests, but I do think since it gets focus then it probably also represents something about the relationships, otherwise there wouldn't be a difference at all.

I mean, you're basically asking me to ignore a consistent story element, which is odd to me. Why would it be there if it wasn't important? It's like the difference between the suitor that gets roses and the suitor that gets sunflowers knowing they're the love interests favorite flowers. Chekov's love details.

One character saying "G'morning" while another says "Good morning" can tell you on a surface level that one is more casual than the other. In this scenario you are determining that a character using "G'morning" will lose a love triangle romance because they are not using the proper wording.

Sometimes little details are little details that exist to be little details. It was already mentioned above, but it seems the author simply wanted to show a difference in education and status with this. A fairly standard way of characterisation with no especially deeper meaning in regards to every other plot point, let alone the blossoming romance. You cannot compare flower language, a matter that is build on deeper meaning and metaphors, to a simple character trait.

Though I want to end this by saying that you are free to interpret whatever you want into any aspect of a story. That is how we process art and storytelling. So I'm not telling you to stop anything, I just tried to perhaps broaden your perspective. Especially because Natori has stopped correcting her already and just accepted it.
It appears to me that it matters more to you than the actual characters.

Obviously we're not going to agree on this, but I do think your analogies here are not particularly fair. A name is much more personal and important than a greeting. You really don't see any difference between saying a character's name correctly and how someone says good morning? Names are usually pretty important in many stories. And I've absolutely seen films where a person saying someone's name correctly is a part of the plot. Which doesn't imply anything about this manga, but it will just be a character detail, but I do feel like you're being dismissive too early.

Also, unrelated, but "I just tried to perhaps broaden your perspective" is incredibly condescending. You don't know me or my perspective from reading a couple of comments I've made here. Let's not go there please.

girlie really said i could treat you better fr

I hope the prince doesn't become the sole villain, that would be tired.

Seems unlikely. He appears to have just awakened to shipping them.

So the prince is a yuri enjoyer, nice.
I wonder how he feels about the glorious poly ending (though I don't see it happening)..