This is a series where like twelve girls keep paying her to sex and she just blindly goes along with it. I doubt any logic went into this to the point where she should have told her about others watching.

I wouldn't say blindly. She just likes it, she'll probably enjoy being watched as well.

That's how it is when the kids move out.

Watanabe really was anticipating being swept off her feet, huh? Could feel her disappointment at not sleeping in the middle, especially that hilarious pouting face she made when she realized Yoshioka was actually sleeping. Plus there seemed to be some worry that her and Yoshioka might end up like the grandma and her friend. Is she really satisfied with just receiving a new years card once a year?

last edited at Mar 10, 2023 7:55AM

It seems we were right to assume that this time travel would link her back up with Evie (and likely that forgotten first kiss), but with the introduction of her mother's plotline and this prince there's a lot more to this world that's opening up. I wondered where the series would go after the confession and this is showing a lot of control from the author. So much of this was mentioned or hinted at before and now is being further developed. Feels very planned and I'm interested to see what else is planned moving forward.

last edited at Mar 9, 2023 9:24AM

She's wants so badly to continue her typical avoidant habits but her affections for Nanami just aren't like the other women. She can't help but say and do these almost out-of-body things around Nanami. Seems Nanami brings out parts of Kaede that even she was either unaware of, scared of, or normally has no issue hiding.

Regardless, the afterward makes clear how important it is to communicate what type of relationship you want (implying that they have or do): so, if they both are ok with whatever, then that's their choice. I'm also unsure if the "haven't dated yet" was referring to their confessions from the beginning and maybe theirs a tense miscommunication. Either way this was another interesting not "standard" relationship from Yuni. Really like their variety and willingness to showcase all types of real and existing (and often still happy) relationships, even if they aren't "stamped and approved."

last edited at Mar 4, 2023 7:40AM

For me the main plot was how to get rid of the villainess system and it feels like it got sidetracked in favor of the actual "game plot".

System, game routes (or set romantic routes) and her growing crush on Elsa have been tied together for a bit. Evie has been juggling all 3 constantly. Issue is that for a long while now the plot has been shifting in ways Evie has not predicted, so she has been on the back foot--memory issues, Nun changes, system plot disappearing for some reason, future Elsa, demon's being a child and a girl, demon attack coming earlier, finding out that she will die etc.

This situation is just another that's been unpredictable for her and there's likely a reason that will involve the system and more importantly the strings attached to that system etc. The author has been building up these discrepancies for a bit and the discrepancies have had to do with the system, game plot and Evie's romance with Elsa all at once. The recent fluff chapters were just the "beach episode" in the middle of the intensifying issues that Evie has been dealing with. I can't even call it full fluff because future Elsa is introduced during this and has been here pushing the plot, introducing time travel possibilities, hinting at (then explicitly revealing) a possible future without Evie and also introducing a possible ability to modify the system, as well. Point being that there's been a lot going on besides just the system giving her commands.

last edited at Feb 28, 2023 10:35AM

I would not call this rushed or sudden by any stretch of the word, the injured demon king's storyline was first introduced way back in chapter 39, before they even set out to the village. An entire volume and more has since come and gone, slowly building up to this.

And I really don't see how you can call them "Faye's demon wolves" when she's the main target of the attack...

Agreed. The village's being attacked was discussed earlier during this very arc (I've been waiting for it to happen for a some time). There's nothing happening that hasn't been hinted at or introduced (very upfront) for a long while now. If anything it's been slow getting to this point as I assumed the village attack would have happened many chapters ago (but the author focused on fluff for a while and lost the balance between fluff and plot). Like you said: the heavy fluff we had was the actual break in the story, not the other way around. There was a point there were the system, the demon girl's position in the game, the clearly time traveling witch and the incoming attack seemed like they were completely forgotten, and replaced by turning into a pure fluff romance. If anything, I'm glad the story is back on the tracks it set for itself.

last edited at Feb 28, 2023 8:51AM

Ironically, that would make the writing worse. An author isn’t supposed to tell readers what the point of an arc is. That’s for the readers to discover on their own.

The "typical pattern" I referred to was about the comments not the plot of the story. Maybe there was some miscommunication there and you thought I was saying something I wasn't?

If not then, no, I don't believe the writer explicitly told us anything. The memory issue is just a clear plot point that has to be resolved, just like Chekhov's gun. How they handle the issue of her past and the fact that Elsa has memories that she does not can still be varied but that discrepancy must be dealt with. That's not a mark against the quality of the writing. Most people here have acted like the outcome is uncertain so it seems everyone isn't getting the same impression. I'm just speaking from my perspective as a writer and discussing what strategies the writer is likely employing to handle multiple plot threads at once. The main point was that none of this time stuff is sudden, it's all been planted as the story has progressed, so those seeds had to grow at some point or their inclusion (like Elsa talking about her memories) would have been somewhat pointless.

I am interested in how this goes though. There's a lot they can do with the story now that we've gone back to the past. I wondered where the story had left to go once Elsa and Evie got together.

last edited at Feb 27, 2023 2:06PM

but there's always these doomsday comments when authors tries to do more than the normal fluff. The writing always coincidentally becomes "terrible"

Don't worry, it will turn around when everyone realizes this is just an excuse for fluff between them as kids

Haha, yeah I know (that's also the typical pattern). But that's part of the point though, since I think it should be clearer to readers that this is likely just an avenue to provide more backstory and reaffirm their relationship (while also handling the system plot that's been put aside for a bit). I mean Elsa talked about a kiss from when they were younger that Evie didn't remember and I imagine we will see that (we need to because the story didn't address that "loss of memory yet" and it wasn't a throw away line).

last edited at Feb 27, 2023 12:08PM

This series was so cute with all the suggestive bullying. There was no foreshadowing to the evil wolves and this whole saving the world from some random wolves seems so contrived. I'm so sorry but the story was better when it didn't take itself too seriously. Well, anyway the main couple is still cute.

I mean, when you see a demon lord out in the wild injured (Chapter 45), that's already a red flag.

And the fact that there are things in her past that needed to be explained. I mean if anything the fluff of the past couple chapters is the actual break in the flow. The earlier chapters were always split between the system focus and it's those aspects that have been put to the side. Now we're back to more plot besides just the romance and I imagine we'll develop more of their connection through these past events (I'm actually confident these events will start doing what the story use to do and reaffirm their romance while also pushing the narrative further).

I'm also petty confident something that was mentioned earlier related to Evie will happen here. She has gaps in her memories if we go by what Else mentioned (set up many chapters ago, mind you). Everything has been hinted at since earlier in the series but there's always these doomsday comments when authors tries to do more than the normal fluff. The writing always coincidentally becomes "terrible," (which isn't to say that the writing here is top grade, just that "awareness" seems to perk up at these predictable moments no matter the writing quality).

last edited at Feb 27, 2023 8:24AM

Overreactions, indeed. Glad she nipped that in the bud quick (but that should be expected). Ritsu never viewed that as a romantic relationship, it all just happened suddenly and then the chapter ended before she could properly respond. She just wants to know more about her sister. Having said that, this chapter felt like an ending if we ignore her situation with her sister. I wonder where it'll go from here since there's likely more depth to that part of the story (if the Mangaka wants to delve into it).

last edited at Feb 26, 2023 3:55PM

While I do somewhat understand the backlash this chapter received, it does make me wonder...did people just skip over Midori telling her ex-boyfriend in chapter one "I do like you, but it's not love anymore"? This twist (if it even is a twist) didn't come out of nowhere, it's based on aspects of Midori's character that were already established.

Well, to be fair, that certainly is consistent with Chapter 2, but by itself it can be read as a standard let-them-down-easy brush off. It didn’t necessarily indicate that she was going to stay entangled with him and his family, (and I had in fact forgotten that’s how she said it).

That's a fair point, I just think people are letting their outrage at cheating (and cheating is bad of course) blind them to what Midori is actually saying.

Midori is a weirdo who never lets her emotions show. This is off-putting to most people, including most people in this thread lol. Baba, however, is an easygoing and carefree guy; that's why he's one of the few people willing to hang out with her. That's probably the reason she originally fell in love with him. But those qualities are also precisely why he continually cheated on her. And I suspect that Kyouko was the cause behind her deciding to break up because Kyouko demonstrated there was someone besides Baba (and his parents) who cares about her.

None of this is particularly dramatic or messy imo. It's just kind of weird and unique because of how weird and unique Midori is.

Yeah I think people are making some snap judgements. It'll be interesting to see where the story intends to go from here. The only thing I'd disagree with is Midori's being "weird." Everyone is different and just because she might have a different setup than people are used to doesn't make her weird and shouldn't create an outrage. As for her living situation, we will know soon enough what her setup is with her ex. She could very well be planning on moving out after the breakup. Too early to be definitive, either way.

last edited at Feb 26, 2023 2:57PM

Hoo boy im intrigued of whats gonna come next when the parents meet Kyouko

Yeah I think this setup is interesting. Certainly not standard, which is generally good.

The rationale is that because the position of power in a monarchy is heredity, to ensure the end of it, the immediate inheritors must be eliminated.

It doesn't fucking work though.

Pretty much, yeah. It is because that rationale is not much of a rationale to begin with, it is instead basically a thin excuse applied retroactively to events which were fuelled by anger, bloodlust, and a thirst for vengeance and violence, in an effort to make those events appear more palatable.

It's an honest rationale for a few, sure, but they often forget or disregard the fact that the many who will join their cause based on their violent messaging will not share their same moral and ideological bent. You preach violence--no matter what it's for--you get the kinds of people persuaded by violence and it all falls apart quick or slow.

last edited at Feb 24, 2023 1:17PM

...oh well abolish the monarchy
I don't get common people's fascination with royalty and creating stuff like this that sanitizes the ruling class while demonizing the peasant/worker class.

You must have missed the part where the princess acknowledges that her father was a tyrant who made things unbearable for the common people. You also must have missed the part where the princess talks about being depressed and shunned, as many royals who were born with disabilities often were, usually treated pretty horrendously by their own family, because they could not maintain the proper image that was expected of them. Nothing was sanitised here.

You also seem to have missed a lot of real world history, you should read up on that. From the Great Peasants' War, to the Jacobins, to the Bolsheviks, revolting masses sure carried out a lot of atrocities that just as often fell on people who personally did them no harm, including upper class children. It is almost like both sides can be horrendous, I know, shocking. Imagine that, nuance.

Like was I supposed to feel bad or something?

If you are a sociopath that evaluates people solely and exclusively based on which class they belong to, then no, I suppose not.

Glad you said it. I thought about it but I'm already working and that seemed like a losing battle. I liked this short. They managed to do a lot of world-building within a short space--crafted beginning, middle, and end pretty well. The art is also nice.

That is the rationale, yeah, but at the same time most of the violence that happened in the real world that is closely paralleled by this doujin (the most obvious inspiration being the French Revolution) was only partially orchestrated and was just as often, if not even more often, simply the result of pent-up anger and mob mentality, with the masses taking out their frustrations on anyone they could get their hands on, guilty or innocent. I liked the quote from HBO's Rome, though.

Yes, because predictably those kinds of mentalities don't usually attract people with moral dispositions--the reason why that kind of "progress" has nearly always ended up muddled at best no matter from what political spectrum it's come from.

last edited at Feb 24, 2023 11:59AM

I love that Shimamura is a normal person in a romance manga. She reacts and acts in a mostly normal way to these situations and in this genre that makes her seem "odd," to some. She's a bit distant, yes but not really that distant and a lot of what makes her even seem distant is because she doesn't immediately go along with Adachi's possessiveness and she doesn't do what characters in these spaces normally would when it comes to romance (she's more measured, calculating and introspective). I like her character for that, especially in the LNs. Her thoughts were actually what became the most interesting parts of the later LNs--I can genuinely say I haven't seen many other characters in this space react and think quite like her.

last edited at Feb 24, 2023 8:30AM

Feeling a little uneasy what did she find out at the end?

Seems like she might have seen some of Aria's history?

That girl knew how the night was ending before it even began. She set the mood and got it done. Appreciate the effort.

I really don't see how it matters in this case anyway. Very little about plot or character changes depending on whether she actually makes lip contact or leans in with incredibly obvious intent and comes within a millimeter. Either way, we suddenly go from:
Person A in love, had confession that was avoided, person B unknown but avoiding romance-related issues
to:
Mutual Feelings

How this can be considered nothing happening is beyond me.

Yes, I agree. The kiss not that important (unless you just want to see them kiss, just to see it). What's relevant is the intent to kiss. Really important volume, here. Now everything is setup for the next volume, as I assume this one is ending if not already ended. Learned a lot about these characters (some by omission) and perceptions of Kaede and Aoi were shifted back and forth because of these events (which says a lot for what the volume sought to do). I wonder how Kaede will respond. It really seems Nanami is at her wits end and learned to move on from her convo with Aoi. But if Kaede does have these feelings she's been hiding, she'll need to make a move before Nanami pulls an Aoi and fully moves on. Aoi is an alternative version of Nanami and Nanami learned a lot from Aoi's history but it seems Kaede might have also learned a lesson from seeing Aoi's conclusion--interesting use of Aoi there from the author and much of it was setup from Aoi's first arrival.

last edited at Feb 23, 2023 3:53PM

All's well in the end. To me this speaks for the idea that ultimately her "crush" on the guy was something superficial, as indeed this is supposed to be her assigned role. Maybe that is too meta, but it does feel like an obligation. Loving Hiyama, that is a feeling all of her own that she developed by constantly being given incentives for.

Yeah, long story short: once Hiyama came into the picture, Kimura's affections fixated on Hiyama (like the library scene) but she rationalized those affections in a myriad of other ways (adoration, "she's amazing," "I feel like this around her because I want to be like her," etc.).

I wouldn't be surprised if she felt these romantic like feelings for a while now but didn't have a solid understanding of her emotions because Hiyama is a girl. We even have the later scene where she continues to assume her jealousy is for the boy, only to actually react when forced to witness Hiyama's (potentially) being taken away by the guy friend.

She had an idealized view of relationships and who she "should" pine for, but it's all flipped. The girl she thought she liked because of "adoration" is actually love, and the guy she thought she "loved" was actually just a friendly kind of like (with some shyness).

last edited at Feb 22, 2023 11:14AM

That was a much more helpful discussion than expected.

Honestly, why do they keep falling for Kaede?? She's such a Mary Sue, goddammit.

Hahaha, no. She's way too much of a slob to qualify as anything even close to a Mary Sue.

Lol Yeah, if anything she's the Anti-Mary Sue. Actually even the concept of Mary Sue doesn't really fit this type of story. What would she be the Mary Sue of, manga, friendships?

last edited at Feb 21, 2023 8:46AM

Even in her dreams, Kimura gets off on Hiyama's aggression and it's lovely. She's got a kink.

last edited at Feb 21, 2023 7:36AM

That convo with Aoi makes it sound like Nanami will back off and give Kaede space instead of continuing to pursue her.

When I hear the name "Kafka" I think of the Arknights character.

I think of bugs.