I'll just leave this here: https://findmyparent.org/country_page/japan/

It's a difference in culture I guess. Family issues are considered highly private. Police probably didn't spread the news.

She's over 20 and so not considered a child anymore. She has no family, but some people vouched for her and she's not homeless. What else are they supposed to do?

I'll just leave this here: https://findmyparent.org/country_page/japan/

It's a difference in culture I guess. Family issues are considered highly private. Police probably didn't spread the news.

She's over 20 and so not considered a child anymore. She has no family, but some people vouched for her and she's not homeless. What else are they supposed to do?

Sure, it all be explained away any number of ways--as Erika says in Chapter 2: "Supernatural or whatever . . . ."

But it's not just "missing person is found," but "missing adolescent returns after 7 years completely unchanged physically and mentally." And there are no parents or other family involved at all.

As the former classmate says, "Quite the outlandish tale indeed."

But it's not just "missing person is found," but "missing adolescent returns after 7 years completely unchanged physically and mentally." And there are no parents or other family involved at all.

Come to think of it, what happened to her parents and family?

But it's not just "missing person is found," but "missing adolescent returns after 7 years completely unchanged physically and mentally."

Sounds like a hoax to me. :-P

But it's not just "missing person is found," but "missing adolescent returns after 7 years completely unchanged physically and mentally."

Sounds like a hoax to me. :-P

Cue the crowds of paparazzi mobbing her while shouting, "Ushio-san! Look this way! Ushio-san, why won't you come clean to the public about where you really were? Aren't you really part of a sex-slave ring?" etc.

Seriously, I know this story just wants to bracket off the question of what exactly happened to Aya (at least for now), but the "rabid press horde publicly hounds innocent person" scene is so ubiquitous in Japanese and other Asian media that I can't help imagining how it fit in here.

last edited at Jan 25, 2024 12:57PM

But it's not just "missing person is found," but "missing adolescent returns after 7 years completely unchanged physically and mentally."

Sounds like a hoax to me. :-P

Cue the crowds of paparazzi mobbing her while shouting, "Ushio-san! Look this way! Ushio-san, why won't you come clean to the public about where you really were? Aren't you really part of a sex-slave ring?" etc.

Seriously, I know this story just wants to bracket off the question of what exactly happened to Aya (at least for now), but the "rabid press horde publicly hounds innocent person" scene is so ubiquitous in Japanese and other Asian media that I can't help imagining how it fit in here.

Then again, she's only the two-hundred-ninety-fourth person this week who pretends she comes from the past, or the future, or escaped from an alien prison, or travelled through dimensions.

People love chasing after their 15 minutes of fame and there's only so much the media can cover before boring their audience to sleep.

I want Aya to fall in love with Kumagaya-san and stop bothering Koto. Please please Kami-sama grant my wish.

Aya needs a fresh start. There's too much baggage in her relationship with Koto. Knowing that Aya is a child of fourteen weighs heavily on both of their hearts. They aren't comfortable with each other. The poor girls haven't even smooched since Aya returned!

The world sees Aya as an adult. A very childlike 21-year-old adult who is hopelessly incompetent, yes, sure; but still an adult. Somebody like Kumagaya, who doesn't know about any time-travel shit and will treat her like an adorably naive and innocent adult woman, is perfect for her.

And in that way Erika and Koto can finally be together yes yes yes. :D :D :D

H A U S posted:

I want Aya to fall in love with Kumagaya-san and stop bothering Koto. Please please Kami-sama grant my wish.

Aya needs a fresh start. There's too much baggage in her relationship with Koto. Knowing that Aya is a child of fourteen weighs heavily on both of their hearts. They aren't comfortable with each other. The poor girls haven't even smooched since Aya returned!

The world sees Aya as an adult. A very childlike 21-year-old adult who is hopelessly incompetent, yes, sure; but still an adult. Somebody like Kumagaya, who doesn't know about any time-travel shit and will treat her like an adorably naive and innocent adult woman, is perfect for her.

Kumagaya saw her, like everyone else not in the know, as what she really is: a 14 yo girl.

Kumagaya saw her, like everyone else not in the know, as what she really is: a 14 yo girl.

Things will obviously change when she sees her resume (which says she's 21 yo).

Aya needs a fresh start. There's too much baggage in her relationship with Koto. Knowing that Aya is a child of fourteen weighs heavily on both of their hearts. They aren't comfortable with each other.

One thing I've noticed is that they act like they are mindblocked when it comes to Aya's issues. They're living together but they don't talk about the future at all. They just vegetate through their daily lives and carefully avoid any uncomfortable talk.

Aya is legally 21 and needs to think about what she wants to do with her life. She's a middle school dropout. She can't go to college. She could make a living from part-time jobs, but that would be a rather bleak future. She loves theatre, however, and aiming to be an actress is a possibility. She doesn't need any kind of certificate to join a troupe as an apprentice. But Koto, who should be giving her gentle pushes in the right direction, isn't doing anything at all—because knowledge of the truth about Aya obstructs her thinking. Kumagaya, on the other hand, can only think of her as an adult woman with the looks of a teen... meaning she most certainly would encourage her to follow her dream.

And in that way Erika and Koto can finally be together yes yes yes. :D :D :D

And this looks like a winner to me too. 7w7

Kumagaya saw her, like everyone else not in the know, as what she really is: a 14 yo girl.

Things will obviously change when she sees her resume (which says she's 21 yo).

One of the oldest tropes in manga & anime is the adult woman who looks just like a loli or a young teen girl. People always mistake her for a child and it leads to funny misunderstandings.

Kumagaya, when she sees Aya's resume, will be like OMG THEY REALLY EXIST!!!!!!

Besides this, I agree with HayaH and E. Vigée Le Brun in that 1) things with Koto are not working, and 2) Aya needs to seriously think about trying for an apprenticeship in a troupe and a future in professional acting.

And in that way Erika and Koto can finally be together yes yes yes.

That relationship is cursed. It's never gonna work out even if Aya and Koto don't stay together.

I'm very interested how the author will present this story and explain phenomena when someone is completely pulled out from time and returned again

I certainly could end up being totally wrong, but at this point I'm not certain that the author ever will present any explanation for Aya's disappearance/reappearance at all, except maybe something hand wavy at the end like "the mysteries of Tanabata, star-crossed lovers, something, something . . .".

Which is fine. This could well end up being a very good story by just concentrating on the relationships among the characters--other manga series have featured weirder premises than this without worrying too much about the nuts and bolts of how those premises work.

There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy, after all. Or so I am given to understand.

last edited at Jan 25, 2024 2:39PM

I still have 3 chapters and a half to do.

Best to keep you all on tenterhooks :D

I still have 3 chapters and a half to do.

Is it over or is that just what's come out so far?

I still have 3 chapters and a half to do.

Is it over or is that just what's come out so far?

The series is still ongoing.

4 chapters and a half per volume.

It's up to chapter 10 on the raw site, so there'll be at least two and a half more. But the story looks far from over, with the new developments in the later chapters...

More drama at 11.

I still have 3 chapters and a half to do.

I want Aya to fall in love with Kumagaya-san and stop bothering Koto. Please please Kami-sama grant my wish.

Yes, like Aya can just fall in love with anybody that bumped into her.
And I am 100% damn sure Koto would lock her up before anything can even happen.

The world sees Aya as an adult. A very childlike 21-year-old adult who is hopelessly incompetent, yes, sure; but still an adult. Somebody like Kumagaya, who doesn't know about any time-travel shit and will treat her like an adorably naive and innocent adult woman, is perfect for her.

And in that way Erika and Koto can finally be together yes yes yes. :D :D :D

YOU All SEE AYA AS AN OBSTACLE THAT KEEPS ERIKA AND KOTO FROM BEING TOGETHER.
The truth is, Koto might not choose Erika even if Aya doesn't exist from the start. That's how the world works.

last edited at Jan 26, 2024 3:55AM

Hey, I'm rooting for Aya/Koto!

Don't know how, but somehow!

My personal theory is that the current Aya is a product of Koto's obsession.

It doesn't explain everything, but "Aya" only reappeared when Koto came back to visit Urihata's school, "Aya" doesn't remember what happened on Tanabata day because Koto's memories of her only go up to the previous day. "Aya" is very in love with Koto, which may be wish fulfilling on Koto's part. There's that scene also where Koto thinks about a play and says that Aya said exactly what she expected. Koto looked unstable mentally after Aya's disappearance.

For all we know, the actual Aya got "abducted" by her mother on Tanabata day and was not especially in love with Koto. There was no time travel at all and an "Aya" popped up because of Koto's obsession when she came back to Urihata.

I could be wrong though, because there's not enough hints yet and "Aya" seems to be her own person rather than a play character.

I could be wrong though, because there's not enough hints yet and "Aya" seems to be her own person rather than a play character.

It's not like I don't like you theory, but we've seen Aya interact with the police, former classmates and a lot of other people when Koto is not even present. I think this was done precisely to tell us that she is not an illusion.

Most people are pretty hard on Koto, I feel like. I'll admit that stuff must be pretty hard for Aya, having to act as an adult with still being a child. But Koto had to live 7 years not knowing what happened to her first love. She could have been adducted, murder... This is I think a way more traumatic experience that was Aya is currently living (not that is a competition of course). I wonder if Koto is not stuck with her 14 yo self as well in a way.

Aikosaurus posted:

I could be wrong though, because there's not enough hints yet and "Aya" seems to be her own person rather than a play character.

It's not like I don't like you theory, but we've seen Aya interact with the police, former classmates and a lot of other people when Koto is not even present. I think this was done precisely to tell us that she is not an illusion.

I didn't say she was an illusion.More like an avatar of Aya summoned by Koto's obsession (and maybe also Erika's wish for this obsession to be resolved).

"Rewinding a day, going back home from school and suddenly, facing Koto and Erika 7 years later on the road" doesn't explain anything at all.

The missing tanabata day and what Aya and Erika discussed are still mysteries.

last edited at Jan 26, 2024 5:54AM

Nene posted:

Kumagaya saw her, like everyone else not in the know, as what she really is: a 14 yo girl.

Things will obviously change when she sees her resume (which says she's 21 yo).

I just recalled that you can only have a part-time job in Japan starting from 16yo (ie, high school).

Before that, kids can't be hired.

So, since Aya was looking for a part-time job, Kumagaya must have assumed she's 16 or 17.

Manifesting a person is as supernatural as time travel :p

Aya is obviously only attracted to adult Koto's appearance, which really makes me feel some bad things would happen ahead.
Remember what she thought in chapter 6？
There're two red flag involved：
①Aya loves present Koto
②Koto would still love Aya in the future

It would be really ironic if Aya one day find out she actually loves Koto from the past. You can't call them the same person since Koto has changed that much in seven years. Aya just hasn't acknowledged that. But one day she will.

My personal theory is that the current Aya is a product of Koto's obsession.

It doesn't explain everything, but "Aya" only reappeared when Koto came back to visit Urihata's school, "Aya" doesn't remember what happened on Tanabata day because Koto's memories of her only go up to the previous day. "Aya" is very in love with Koto, which may be wish fulfilling on Koto's part. There's that scene also where Koto thinks about a play and says that Aya said exactly what she expected. Koto looked unstable mentally after Aya's disappearance.

For all we know, the actual Aya got "abducted" by her mother on Tanabata day and was not especially in love with Koto. There was no time travel at all and an "Aya" popped up because of Koto's obsession when she came back to Urihata.

I could be wrong though, because there's not enough hints yet and "Aya" seems to be her own person rather than a play character.

My personal theory is Aya would time travel back to her own time eventually.
That explains why she didn't have memory on Tanabata day.
For why she disappeared back then.
She decided to stay at the future because she had fallen in love with present Koto and can't give up the connection already built with other people.

last edited at Jan 28, 2024 10:35PM