The ball is now in Hana's court, to tell Lily that she didn't act out of compassion only. But beyond a heart to heart, there is still the issue of (financial) independence. They're both young and have no leverage over Lily's parents that we know of (and no powerful allies either), so they have to convince them to call off the arranged marriage out of kindness/love, scramble to find some kind of leverage, or elope. The parents are very strict with Suzu as well, so a change of heart seems unlikely, leverage dropping in their lap could feel a bit too magical, and escaping seems like an even longer shot. It's a lot of ground to cover with little more than half a volume left.
It's somehow disappointing to me that the most obvious plot twist happened, but I guess there is a small twist to the twist still, since she seems to be somehow regretful that the real Kaoru never actually pat her head, implying that the ruse was too good :P
Is it really a plot twist if Lily having absolutely no clue was extremely unlikely? I just see this as the story reaching its final stage and revealing all the cards in play. But I do like that Hana's cover was immediately blown by the head pats. I think it's hinted that it seemed natural to her because her brother used to pat her head. This also gives a bittersweet tone to Lily's adorable reactions when Hana touched and stroked her hair.
last edited at Aug 11, 2024 4:36PM