..."Proper steps" doesn't mean sticking to some dumb tradition...

The thing is I'm fairly certain that's exactly what she meant. She wasn't about communication or consent or anything, just about how relationships were "traditionally" supposed to have developed. In any case, like others said, she definitely meant well, but she still stuck her nose in a place it had no place being.

Besides, this is my read of the story and characters more than anything, I think that the way she views Hinata and the way Hinata is do not fully match. More than anything else, I feel that Hinata just has a stronger libido she hasn't fully woken up to; she wasn't actually gonna maul the girl (she's been doing pretty well in exactly not doing that ), and definitely not snap her neck lol.

In any case, I did quite like that chapter. Critical hits all around, which I love. Only thing I'd have been perfectly fine without Yua planting that seed of "proper steps" in Hinata's mind. I don't feel she's done anything particularly wrong, out-of-order, or off-key. Maybe the first kiss thing, but I feel that it is debatable. That said, I commented once about convenient contrivances made to lengthen the run time, that is most definitely another one of those. I do not necessarily mind, again.

Is it ridiculous? Could definitely say so, but I legitimately love the coincidence. I find it bizarrely cathartic, how Kiki was her inspiration all along and how it came full circle with the two uplifting each other and all.

As for the confession, honestly, the pure shock from Kiki was perfectly conveyed, in my opinion. Especially how the fact that this is something that happens to her at that moment just hasn't sunk in yet. I also understand why Michiru ran away, considering the response, and hope and expect them to go through this. Hopefully soon, ideally to me, Kiki immediately realized "wait that actually just fucking happened" and runs after her.

With how pretty and incredibly likable she is, Komichi could probably become a popular influencer in a real hurry. She's way too pure for that world though, I'd want her as far away from the internet as possible XP

As far as the internet goes, she needs to be in the good (better?) areas of the internet. Perhaps, for instance, a certain small community with a particular interest and perhaps some important insight into the dynamics of intimacy between two girls...

More seriously though, I do like, especially with how likable and popular she is, that she's shown to have these concerns that legit every person has had at some point. It sounds a bit odd, but she's perfect without being perfect, or too perfect, to be precise.

Oh, and also, regarding chapter 71 - FUCKING! YES! That felt bizarrely cathartic. I don't really think Hiro will back out of this; I'm choosing to remain hopefully optimistic.

last edited at Jan 14, 2024 8:45AM

Cute! Kyuuuut! The blush, lord almighty. Bathe me in this saccharine goodness, please and thank you. Also loved Sakura picking up that stray ball and making a huge play. This weirdly gung-ho energy she sometimes has is adorable.

And yet, I think the thing I love most about this chapter is Takamine musing about living in the presence. Especially with how ubiquitous the notion of "growing up" or "becoming an adult" is in Japanese media (at least that I've been exposed to), it's such a breath of fresh air. Even more so coming from a character in the process of discovering herself, what she wants to be, to do, to like, as well as being uncertain about all those things that can and will change - "... and everything that comes after that too...", to really start living in the present. I feel this is brilliantly written, really.

No miracles this time, I guess. At the same time, as legitimately painful as this is, I also find it very cathartic and satisfying that they both got some sort of closure; Shizuku with finishing her novel and confessing, Kaori with her last wish being granted. Shizuku kissing Kaori's hand in a gesture that leaves little room for interpretation as to what this means, to me was particularly satisfying. I mean, that's the kiss that is the apex of every romance story, you know? I also especially loved how the kiss was tied into and how the "reveal" of the confession was done, even though it was rather obvious, or hell, especially since from the very beginning everything was already pretty obvious, it makes how good a story this is all the more prevalent. In all honesty, it takes every fiber of my being not to break down in tears, and it is exhausting.

I love the dive into Mona's perspective of things, and it's actually pretty sweet how her rhythm gets completely thrown off by Shion.

Michiru is pure cute. I'm loving how closer and more openly affectionate the two are, Kiki especially.

Great chapter. The little sister and cheek poke thing fucking melted me. Also Chiheerow. This isn't related to anything, but I'll also share that for some reason I really, really like the name Chihiro.

last edited at Dec 15, 2023 9:57AM

Stumbled across this now and breezed through the chapters, and I am fucking loving it. I doubt it'll happen, but I dearly hope they go big rather than home with the horny.

Oh my god they're...Italians!

I'm not 100% sure what this means but for some reason, this gave me the biggest laugh.

My neurons are slacking today, and honestly, I did not 100% understand what Hirose was saying and what she was referring to on a sentence-to-sentence basis, but I'm glad she got some closure, and I love how it panned out. Specifically, Takamine telling her she's sorry she didn't take that thing Hirose liked seriously before I feel is an incredible moment between the two of them and an incredible display of Takamine's growth.

...Angst-nullification seems to be her superpower.

I also just love this.

last edited at Dec 15, 2023 9:37AM

This is so fucking adorable. I really like seeing the two ease into the friends-with-benefits situation, especially Nanao who is constantly learning new things both about the dynamic and herself. I love how the two being actively horny isn't making a mess of their relationship either. Also I love the tension between them.. Regardless of how the series moves on, I hope their relationship keeps developing. Page 11 was precious, dude.

I'll be honest, I get where many of the folks commenting that it might suck for Nanao are coming from, but it absolutely doesn't seem like it to me. I think it's actually relatively healthy, and regardless the involved parties are venturing in willingly. If anything, Nanao has made a huge springboard for herself just in general, really. Also, for better or worse, Asumi definitely has become attached to Nanao, not to mention she's absolutely attracted to her.

last edited at Dec 2, 2023 6:39AM

To paraphrase and emphasize a comment I made some time ago - big fucking oof to our girl right there. As have been commented before several times, I'll also reiterate that I'm a big fan of how "mature", for lack of a better word, she is, and how grounded the approach to her arc and development has been. I'm very much hoping she gets to fully understand what she feels and how it might affect her going forward, and I am very much hoping she gets full closure. Specifically, the idea that Sakura catches up to her and they have a heart-to-heart sounds incredible to me, and I'd absolutely love that.

I'm shipping Hinata x Hirose for no apparent reason

I've been actually shipping Hatori and Hirose for no apparent reason, but I do not hate this idea either.

Oh my god, this is so, so cute. And I love how even the framing puts an emphasis on the hairpin, almost like it's a clue for us the readers to find out what is going on. I'm actually inclined to assume it is, either case I love that detail. I also love that I'm not even sure I'd have caught that if not for the explaining note, but it doesn't take anything away from the chapter itself. It's still a cute moment and development between the two.

Oh fuck...

Good lord, the first few pages are fire! The entire chapter is fire! I'm not 100% certain what caused Lapis to change gear to such a degree, but I'm all for it. Natori reading this as her being treated as a spoiled pet was amusing, but I'm also dying for her to connect the dots, or better yet, Lapis being even more assertive than she's now being and making it clear in no uncertain terms. Like, I just want Lapis to kiss her or something. Like she should've done in those few panels at the start.

Oooh. That possessiveness. Sweet, but in a creepy and confining way. Hope they can get through this phase unharmed.

I'm not seeing this as creepy, but definitely confining and maybe suffocating. I do wonder where this is going to lead, and definitely hope (and expect, really) they'll get through this.

I'll have you know that it is of the utmost importance that my gay pseudo-incest age-gap manga only ever contains statistically probable numbers of teen sex.

I have nothing of value to add, but this is a quote for the ages. Also 100% true.

last edited at Oct 12, 2023 9:46AM

Such a lovely chapter. I'm a huge fan of the way Usui Shio does fluff; it hits just perfectly for me.

While I really would have wanted this to keep going for at least 300 chapters, at the same time, I feel that ending with a "proper" wedding ceremony for the two is as perfect as could be. I feel that it's going to be fantastic and incredibly satisfying, and I'm very much looking forward to it.

...The only thing they didn't do is get very physical...

I don't know, dude, that butt smack was very physical.

last edited at Oct 12, 2023 9:28AM

I'm writing this thought only based on chapter 70 - motherfucker this is subtext in the same way 9/11 was a mild annoyance. And now having read a few other chapters I missed, this sentiment's strength has increased a thousandfold.

I really like the dynamic between, man, their names escape me now. Hebimori and... Mai? Let's go with that. I really like their dynamic. I feel that it builds toward something and I'm looking forward to seeing what that is. I also will flat-out say I ship them.

And obviously the dynamic between Komichi and Erika is electrifying, good lord. As another comment mentions, somehow their dynamic is enrapturing and mesmerizing, on a level far beyond some other established canon couples.

I cannot believe Takamine is going to fucking die so soon into the story, such a bummer, man.

Seriously, though, such a cute goddamn chapter, oh my god. I love how subtly Takamine shows that she's disappointed not seeing Sakura in casual clothes. With the cover and how Sakura reacted, I'm actually thinking that she got scared or way too self-conscious and decided to "play it safe" with the familiar uniform, and I'm really hoping that's the case and that it'll be brought up. Though Sakura coming with her uniform gave us the absolute killer of a move by Takamine. To which I say goddamn the girl's smooth.

I love how their interaction developed in the chapter, starting with Sakura awkwardly trying to start a conversation and really start to get to know Takamine, Takamine picking up on the cues and stumbling on her own insecurities a bit, and this emphasis on those mundane conversations and getting to know one another, just as mentioned in the chapter, even if the contents of those conversations will be forgotten by the following day, there's so much meaning in them nonetheless, and I love seeing their relationship develop like that.

Biggest highlight of the chapter for me was Takamine's expression when she told her mother she had fun. Especially for one who has said multiple times that she feels her life is empty, showing this sincere and, for lack of a better word, content expression, to me means the world and is incredibly satisfying.

And with the cute thing about forgetting the sweater, while sadly condemning Takamine to an excruciating and inevitable death, may also mean that there'll be some really nice stuff in the next chapters, and I cannot wait. This shit is good for the soul. I'm just sitting here and grinning, dude.

When Sakura showed up in her uniform and then held back from going to the arcade because of it, I was somewhat expecting Takamine to impulse buy her the cute dress in the window...

I was hoping that'd happen so much lol.

A lovely surprise. So goddamn adorable, dude. Love it.

This hurts. I really enjoy the mix of "Oh shit a new chapter is out, I'm going to feel sad" and "This is such a good manga" when I see the upload.

Same. There's this feeling that's between dread and excited expectation that is haunting.

In any case, a fantastic chapter. The detailed story behind Shizuku's past was incredibly touching and far too close for comfort. I also love the explicit distinction between a happy ending and one in which the characters are content and can move on. I'm hoping and somewhat expecting that this entails a proper confession. Please.

...I'm inclined to believe she might have feelings for Hirose...

Hinata and Hatori read as straight for me, although it's early enough that it's possible one of them will have feelings for Hirose for extra "drama".

Yeah, my line there was in large part conjecture based on my knowledge of genre tropes and my read of potential flows of the story. When looking at both characters, I also read them as straight. That said, something about Hatori in particular screams at me that there's more than meets the eye, which is why I think she'll be important as well.

In any case, I love the extra being a peek into their backgrounds and into the other party's inner workings. Gives extra substance, weight, and context to what we've seen thus far, in my opinion, and I'm a big fan.

last edited at Sep 27, 2023 3:58PM

She figured out how to make a space for Ruri to "come home" to. Very important that she understands her value to Ruri and what she can do for her that others cannot. Ruri can handle her own stress and Hato can be part of that, no matter what form their relationship takes. Very cosy vibe to this chapter (and the series in general).

Agreed on all points. Specifically, Hato making a space that is "for Ruri" was a simple and adorable development that I'm a huge fan of.

They need to do a memory wipe or something or the girls who have been kissing girls are. . . Are . . . Gonna . . . Well if they want to continue kissing I wouldn’t mind.

One of the couples in page 19 continued kissing even after the curse was broken...

I'm dearly hoping that one of the next chapters mentions something along the lines of "a substantial increase in the number of known couples" in their school.

Also, I may or may not have a thing for teachers, but I am ecstatic about the prospect of the teacher now being actively part of Kanon's harem.

I'm also very interested in the reveal about Lucifer. I'm reading it as her being close with Kanon at some point in their lives, and the cruel twist of fate is that now she's on the "opposite team", or something like that.

All the kissing aside, which really is more than enough in my book, I actually like that there's at least some semblance of a plotline. Looking forward to seeing where this goes. Also the inevitable kissing duel between Kanon and Lucifer.

Put off on reading the finale for as long as I could; I just don't like finales, really. But it was a very sweet ending to what has been one of the silliest, most earnestly entertaining series I've ever read. It will be sorely missed.

Also Akira absolutely should have hadmet Hana's mother.

A short, sweet, and fun read. I love Hachiko's works and style for those reasons. But also this:

Yeah, end. Now I want an extra with a lewd kiss

Please.