Or I guess the third path: messily oscillating between those two options, causing unhappiness and hurt for all.

"Unhappiness and hurt for all" is a given, but the third path is Tsuzuki falling in love with Kashiwai enough that she becomes willing to accept monogamy for her partner's sake.

last edited at Sep 27, 2022 7:21PM

there was almost no basis for her having "a thing for the teacher" in the story

That's an exaggeration. Kanon doesn't like to eat with others, including Saki, but she was happy to eat with Miura. Then in chapter 6, she blushes when he's behind her and her face is shadowed when she learns he's a widower. None of this was definitive, obviously, but hints were there, and I'd be surprised if they weren't deliberately planted.

[Saki] seems to think She's now only using Kanon for her own personal gain to get into a relationship with her which is very silly as that was NOT the reason she started hanging out with/helping her in the first place that just happened over time.

I disagree with this tbh. I think Saki started crushing on Kanon from the moment they met, and that's why she put so much effort into befriending her. (Well that and she was lonely and heartbroken.) If Kanon weren't as pretty as she is, it's unclear whether Saki would've put in as much effort as she did. I don't say this as a criticism of the character, it's normal to try harder to get close to people you have a crush on... that's just kind of how it is.

I don't think "taking advantage" is the right way to describe befriending someone because you're romantically interested in them; it's more the concern that a friendship based on false (or unstated) pretenses is inherently unstable. This is a particular concern here because Saki is basically Kanon's only friend; losing her would be a really big blow, and there's a risk of that happening if Saki confesses and gets rejected (or vice versa from Kanon's perspective).

Just befriending, no. Befriending someone with a disability with that sort of ulterior motive CAN be seen as having potential for exploitation.

That's fair. We've seen that, especially when they go outside Kanon's house, Kanon is a lot more dependent on Saki than the other way around. If Saki were a bad person, she might be able to coerce Kanon into a relationship by using the implicit threat of leaving her if Kanon refuses.

I don't think "taking advantage" is the right way to describe befriending someone because you're romantically interested in them; it's more the concern that a friendship based on false (or unstated) pretenses is inherently unstable. This is a particular concern here because Saki is basically Kanon's only friend; losing her would be a really big blow, and there's a risk of that happening if Saki confesses and gets rejected (or vice versa from Kanon's perspective).

Saki and Kanon have a pretty interesting dynamic. Saki is so nervous about revealing her crush that she kind of just prattles on about whatever comes to her mind, which often causes her to press one of Kanon's many trauma buttons. But Kanon is the type of person who lets few people be close but those she does allow she clings to tightly, and that unequivocal trust is what enables her to bounce back quickly.

(Also I feel personally called out since I also thought Kanon had a crush on the sensei, but if she wants to prevent such misunderstandings she should stop blushing so much lol.)

10 bucks says the last client will be the teacher we always see her with at the beginning of each chapter.

20 bucks it'll be her sister

I'm not saying Tsuzuki was "wrong" per se, just that this situation shows one of the downsides of polyamory, especially when one of the people involved lacks an external support system.

I will say that this chapter doesn't unambiguously take Tsuzuki's side. Kashiwai is really going through it right now and needs support, but Tsuzuki's dedication to her rules prevents her from offering that support.

Tsuzuki is not a harem protagonist because no harem protagonist would be fine with their harem members dating both them and another person. By contrast, it's established that Tsuzuki does not feel jealousy and would be a-ok with anyone in her polycule becoming romantically involved with others.

I wonder if Awa revealing to the boss about knowing Kashiwai's involvement with Tsuzuki will do anything. Fukunaga already warned Kashiwai to keep business and private matters separate so I feel like this just proves she couldn't....

Shouldn't the boss already know, since he's part of the polycule?

No not about the relationship but that it has already leaked into her work life by having coworkers getting involved. I read the boss's warning like "it's cool if it doesn't affect your work life and if no one finds out (like how i've been doing it)", but now it'll be revealed that someone else in the company HAS found out.

Ah, that makes sense. And yes, Kashiwai has absolutely failed at keeping her professional and personal lives separate when she's macking on her client in her work bathroom lmao. It's only right to take her off Tsuzuki's case, I guess the question is whether she'll face further consequences.

I wonder if Awa revealing to the boss about knowing Kashiwai's involvement with Tsuzuki will do anything. Fukunaga already warned Kashiwai to keep business and private matters separate so I feel like this just proves she couldn't....

Shouldn't the boss already know, since he's part of the polycule?

This chapter was one of the most stressful things I've ever read, it's like a manga version of Uncut Gems. I love it and cannot wait for more.

"You're too lazy to fall in love"

I feel called out

I just thought of this, but if you're right, maybe Lapis goes evil because she learns that her "sister" wasn't really her sister at all but some other person possessing her sister's body. (It would explain why Evil Lapis calls her a "thing.")

That's exactly what I was getting at, yeah. It would make a very good (albeit cliche) "reason" for her to go off her rocker, especially if Lapisis (my nickname for her little sister for now) decides to attempt to trigger the revolution route through unsavory means in the "original" storyline.

I don't think it would be cliche, really. If anything, despite the sheer amount of isekai stories where the protagonist takes over the body of a fictional/fantasy person, they almost never have to face that person's friends/family being upset that their loved one's body is essentially being puppeteered by a stranger. (The only exception I can think of offhand is Ascendance of a Bookworm, and it gets resolved quickly.)

Second Evie didn't seem to know she was a demon so that must have not been in the original timeline/game...

I forget how much of this the mamhua includes, but the original novel explains that Yvonne doesn't actually know the original game that well; she was just a beta tester and she actually disliked the game personally (she was an indie gamer lol), so all she really knows is the basic storyline. It's very possible that Dahlia being a demon was revealed in a secret route or something.

it's pretty well-hinted that the person with foresight is her little sister
and I also have an inkling that her little sister was ALSO an isekai person.
midori is a transmigrator, while lapis's little sister would be a possessor.

I just thought of this, but if you're right, maybe Lapis goes evil because she learns that her "sister" wasn't really her sister at all but some other person possessing her sister's body. (It would explain why Evil Lapis calls her a "thing.")

FWIW, I don't think the sentence is grammatically incorrect but it does sound a little awkward to my ears. I would probably have translated it to something like "I forget, do we have anything to eat?" I also think Tamahime is being a little overly aggressive.

It's pretty funny how much better the extras are than the main story (though I did enjoy the main story overall)

I wouldn't really call the protagonist a manic pixie dream girl, because they're defined by being super gregarious and outgoing. The protagonist isn't really either of those things, if anything she's portrayed as lazy; rather, she's more...just kind of weird?

I think it's too early to assume Minami is just going to back off now. Normally when a manga pulls this "confession gets conveniently interrupted" move, the character explicitly loses heart and gives up before the chapter ends (see even chapter 3 of this manga, when Minami's "suki" was misunderstood). Here, though, it happens on the last page, and the chapter ends on a cliffhanger. This means that the current subplot has not ended -- and considering these are the two girls with a childhood marriage promise, they could actually provide an opportunity for Minami to make herself clearly understood this time.

Yuzu's flashback was definitely interesting. Minami views her as just a shy but kind girl, but the flashback shows she was (is?) actually straight-up antisocial and had to be relentlessly badgered to open up to her. It shows that Minami perhaps does not understand her best friend as much as she thinks she does.

I normally really hate the interrupted confession trope, but Minami has been proactive enough that I'm hopeful this won't actually be a setback. As b58 says the current dynamic will get old fast, and I think a real confession from Minami at the end of the volume would open up a lot of more interesting story possibilities.

I actually sincerely dont think its a cliff hanger, and i dunno if it was already discussed on here but they mention being in hiding, i dont really understand what that means, like maybe just hiding on twitter. But the whole post today about hoping to finish the comic and saying thanks for watching ofer the characters makes it sound like something behind the scenes is going wrong.
Like posting a 5 years from now drawing before a comment like that seems kinda foreboding, am i the only one worried.

She didn't say she "hopes" to finish the comic. She just said she's taking a week break, thanked & apologized to the fans, and posted the 5 years from now comic to give people at least a little bit of content. It's not the first time she's taken a break, either. There's no reason to be worried other than the "how much longer is she going to spend making a manga she gets no money from" concern which has been there since the beginning.

Also we all know the real reason she's taking a break: to give this thread a chance to cool off and settle down. Thank you, Arai-sensei.

Ummm... The only "happy ending" I see here is Aizawa being one of these ghost of someone who is in coma. I don't see that's the case here since they said she was dead already, unless her family and/or company decided to spread the rumor because reasons... Worst scenario, MC kills herself to be with her. I really hope is not that-

Now you've reminded me of a comic where this abusive girlfriend acts all cutesy and innocent to her lover who can see her after (they killed her), which makes the lover kill themselves out of guilt and out of belief that once they die, the girl will be free as they thought they were the one keeping her there. Well, they were.. But definitely in a bad grudge way..

Is it this one? The girlfriend might be one of my favorite manga villains; even death can't stop her lol.

I should mention the other 3 idols weren't even in the pre-serialized version. But they might be important here.
They were even representing the chapter update.

Interestingly, the mangaka calls them her "favorites" in that tweet. Which could of course be for a number of different reasons lol.

Idk why but I get the feeling that someone murdered her. Something about that girl talking on the tv at the beginning of the second chapter just made me think “this bitch killed her”. Maybe she got jealous of our ghost girl’s popularity/talent and wanted her out of the group…permanently? Maybe the other idol girls were in on it?

Note that the Google autofill results on her name included "suicide." Though in that case it's also possible the other idol girl(s) bullied her into it, if the TL note's speculation on the last page is on point.