I love the Massa x Meru relationship and while I would have liked to see Asuna and Fuu get back together, I think it is probably better to leave it as it is. Fuu didn't tell her that she never wanted to talk to her, she obviously is still attracted to her and paying attention to her to a certain extent, and it is clear as day that Asuna still loves Fuu a ton. It is very typical that Fuu told her that she can contact her, but not to expect her to initiate contact. After all, that is just too much bother... The fact that it leaves some hope for them to be happy together is nice.
I think the Asuna and Fue story ended in the intermission and with Fue's internal monologue in which she says there is no hope for their relationship right now but she didn't know about the far future. So I think there is some hope of them reconciling or meeting half-way. After all, we are three+ years down the road since their breakup.
Although I'm not sure about Sachi-Ruki, I figure that Ruki is, as baffling as might come, genuinely happy and Sachi really loves her. At least both are looking forward to their future together (and look at the gesture of Ruki folding her umbrella and getting under Sachi's - all the small details in the latter chapters are really neat).
Some of the vagueness in the storytelling made me feel uneasy. Maybe Sachi's "Yeah, I guess" is supposed to be interpreted as teasing or at least her not immediately making an appointment to have some extra fun and is actually meant to show that she is no longer oblivious to Ruki's feelings. Or if it's still a lopsided relationship, then i would have liked to read some commentary on that in the afterword. If it's just "she's a wimp now" and it's played for laughs, I find that to be a problematic message. Right now I just can't tell, which is the most unsatifying for me as a reader. Right now I can't help but feel I didn't get everything, same goes for Ruki being prideful. I think what she tried to do and failed at was just her trying to be competent, one of the basic motivations of human beings (others being striving for autonomy and relatedness).
Also, the Meru Maasa Remi triangle at the end confused me. Remi seems moved by Meeru's caring for her but there is a lot of ambiguity as to what she thinks of Maasa. Before reading the extra, I pegged Remi as being unable to love, but now I think that might actually being Maasa's plight. She only allows herself to use people. Meru is her secretary investment and somehow she also took interest in Remi's skills (I guess those are making things complicated and grade A scheming). Having read the story, I have no idea what we are to expect to develop from that. I expect Remi to create a lot of problems and the only answer to Maasa being okay with that would be that she likes Remi (something I never picked up vibes for).
last edited at Mar 31, 2015 8:44AM
